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INDIANS of the 
PUEBLOS 

A Story of Indian Life 

. Therese(pnDeming 

Illustrated by- 

Edwin W. Deming 



Edited by Milo B. Hillegas 
Professor of Education, Teachers College 
Columbia University 


albert"Ywhita^n 

& 5 CO. 


CHICAGO 




\ 


Copyright, 1936 
By THERESE O. DEMING 
and 

EDWIN W. DEMING 




\ 



1 

A 


Printed in U. S. A. 









INTRODUCTION 


I 'HIS book is the fourth in the Indian Life Series by the Demings. 

^ It is a story of Indian life in a pueblo, or village, in New Mexico. 
The authors lived among these Red People for years and had a part in 
each of the events described. These events occurred many years ago, 
before the Pueblo Indians had greatly changed their ways. 

Mr. Deming was then a young artist. He wished to paint pictures 
that would show the manners and customs of the old-time Indians. 
Every picture in this book was painted by Mr. Deming from sketches 
made while he lived in a pueblo. Boys and girls who visit museums 
will sometimes find larger pictures that Mr. Deming has made of some 
of these scenes. 

Mrs. Deming, too, became familiar with the lives of the Pueblo 
Indian people, who were her friends and neighbors. The Indians taught 
her the meanings of the many feasts and dances that occupied a large 
part of their time. She also learned their ways of expressing thoughts. 
In a diary, she kept notes of what she learned about Indian life. With 
the aid of these notes she has here described what she saw and heard. 

Young readers of this book will sometime study the history of our 
country. They will then learn that the Spaniards were the first white 
men to travel and to live in the Southwest. These men used words from 
their own language to name the things that they saw. To them, a village 
such as those in which these Indians lived was a pueblo. The square, 
or court, about which the Pueblo Indians built their homes was a plaza. 
The little animal that is elsewhere called a donkey was to the Spaniards 
a burro. The authors have used these and other significant Spanish 
names that are still used in our Southwest. 


3 


Each book in the Indian Life Series pictures the dominant traits 
of one of the three great types of Indians. Little Eagle very simply 
introduces the first-grade reader to Indian life through the experiences 
of an Indian baby’s first childhood days. The Indians in Winter 
Camp, written simply enough for second-grade children, tells of the 
experiences of a slightly older boy who lived on the plains in a skin 
tepee. Red People of the Wooded Country is a story of the adven¬ 
tures of two little Indian boys whose homes were birch-bark wigwams 
in the woodlands. It can be read with ease by third-grade children. 
Indians of the Pueblos is about the Indians of the Southwest, as de¬ 
scribed above. It can be read easily by fourth-grade children; but, like 
the other books of the series, it will also be read with interest and profit 
by children of higher grades. The readers of the Indian Life Series 
will acquire from the stories a knowledge of Indian customs, traditions, 
religion, and culture. 

These stories have been prepared under the direction and supervision 
of Professor Milo B. Hillegas of Columbia University. 

The Publishers. 


4 


CONTENTS 


Page 

The Twin Warriors Lead the Way. 7 

The Sleepy Rain Makers. 16 

In the Kiva. 24 

The Prayer to the Rain Makers. 31 

The Rain Makers’ Visit. 40 

A Trip to the Woodlands. 50 

Boys with the Hearts of Men. 60 

Herding the Burros. 72 

The Bridge of the Koshares. 81 

The Wilderness Trail. 92 

The Land of the Long-Ago People. 102 

The Wilderness People. 113 

A Day with Singing Leaves. 123 

Making Pottery. 134 

The Wheat Harvest. 145 

Gathering the Sacred Corn. 155 

Children’s Day at the Pueblo. 163 

The Desert Trail. 174 

The Harvest Feast. 182 

The Night Trail. 190 

The Hunt. 198 

Preparing for the Feast. 207 

The Buffalo Dance. 218 


5 



























QEiUf> 


Washing Little Bird's Hair 



THE TWIN WARRIORS LEAD THE WAY 

Near the close of a hot, dry day an Indian 
family was gathered in a circle before the door¬ 
way of its home in the pueblo (pweb'lo). Big 
Eagle, the father, stood leaning against a post, 
while near by on the low porch floor sat Singing 
Leaves, his wife. Little Bird, their baby boy, 
rested quietly in his mother’s arms. Star, the 
older son, and White Cloud, his younger sister, 
sat beside each other on the hard-packed dirt in 
front of the porch. 

All were looking at an old Indian, who sat on 
his heels in the center of the group. He was Tall 
Oak, the Storyteller, who was liked by everyone 
in the pueblo. Although his skin was wrinkled, 
his eyes were still clear and bright. 

The family quietly waited for Tall Oak to 
speak, but the Storyteller was in no hurry to be¬ 
gin. He put some loose tobacco into a dried corn- 
husk and slowly rolled a cigarette. 

Big Eagle silently brought the Storyteller a 
hght. When the cigarette was well Ughted, Tall 

7 


Oak carefully blew big puffs of white smoke to¬ 
ward the four corners of the earth, toward the 
Above People, and toward the Below People. Star 
and White Cloud knew that he blew the smoke 
as an offering of respect to the spirits. While the 
old Indian did this. Singing Leaves and her three 
children scarcely moved. 

At last Tall Oak was ready. Laying his ciga¬ 
rette aside, he said, “I shall tell you of the coming 
of our people. The story is one that all our chil¬ 
dren should know.” 

Tall Oak was very serious, and so, too, were 
all his listeners. The two wide-eyed children 
moved close together. They listened carefully as 
the old man spoke. 

“Many, many snows ago all the Red People 
lived with the Underneath People in the center of 
Mother Earth. Among these people were some 
who were good and some who were bad. So the 
Red People were not always happy. Finally a time 
came when the bad people killed so many of the 
good ones, it seemed that there might soon be no 
good people left. 

“About that time the Above People sent two 
brave young warriors to help the good people of 

8 


the Underneath Land. These young warriors 
were twin sons of Father Sun and Mother Earth. 

“To those who lived in the Land of Darkness, 
the Twin Warriors said, ‘Follow us. We will lead 
you into the light. We will take you to the Upper 
World. There you will see our Father, who will 
also become your Father.’ 

“Eagerly the Red People followed their two 
young leaders. They traveled for many days 
through a dark, narrow passageway. It was a long, 
hard journey. But the good people tried to keep 
cheerful and happy. 

“The Above People were sorry for the trav¬ 
elers on the dark road; so they sent their own 
Delight Makers, or sacred clowns, to make the 
Red People laugh. These clowns made up the 
sacred Koshare (ko-shar') Society. It has always 
been the duty of this society to make people happy 
and cheerful. The Delight Makers did their best 
to make the Red People laugh and forget their 
hardships on the long journey. 

“Finally the travelers reached the top of Mother 
Earth. As they came from the opening in the i- 
earth, they saw a beautiful spot of light in the 
dawn of the eastern sky. 


9 


The Travelers' First Sight of Morning Star 








“ ‘Is that your Father?’ the wondering Red 
People asked. 

“ ‘No,’ answered the Twin Warriors. ‘That is 
Morning Star, one of our Father’s messengers. 
Morning Star shines to tell the world of our Fa¬ 
ther’s coming. He warns the night clouds that 
they must hurry into their homes.’ 

“While the people who came from the Below 
World watched the east, they saw the darkness 
turn first to gray and then to red and yellow and 
gold. At last a big, bright eye rose over the east¬ 
ern mountains. 

“ ‘What is that?’ asked the surprised and fright¬ 
ened Red People. 

“ ‘That is Father Sun,’ the Twin Warriors an¬ 
swered. ‘He is our Father, and he will be your 
Father, too.’ 

“The sun rose higher and higher, and his light 
grew brighter and brighter. At first the Red Peo¬ 
ple closely covered their eyes and were afraid to 
look about them. But after they felt the warm, 
pleasant fingers of Father Sun, the Red Men knew 
he was a friend. So they uncovered their eyes. 
‘Your Father and our Father is good,’ they told 
the Twin Warriors. 


II 


“Looking about them, the travelers saw many 
things which they had never seen before. They 
could not help being happy. There before them, 
they saw grass-covered lands and fertile fields. 
The Red People were sure that they could keep 
themselves from hunger in this new land of warmth 
and sunshine. They knew that they would be hap¬ 
pier in a land filled with simshine than in the Land 
of Darkness.” 

Suddenly Tall Oak stopped speaking and looked 
at his silent listeners. He calmly relighted his 
cigarette. Then, when he saw Star and White 
Cloud move quietly, the old man turned to them 
and said: 

“Among these good travelers were the Long- 
Ago People. From them have come all our people. 
Our Father is Father Svm, and our Mother is 
Mother Earth. The Red People have found them 
both good. That is why we love them. That is 
why we honor them.” 

The Storyteller was very much in earnest. 
Once more he blew whiffs of smoke about him. 
Then he again took up his story. 

“The happy Red People soon found that they 
had much to learn. Even in a land of sunshine. 


12 


they had to work if they wanted plenty of food 
and clothing. But they were willing to work hard, 
and they were eager to learn. 

“The Above People with the help of Mother 
Nature taught the Red People how to use the 
many things Mother Earth has to offer. They 
learned how to plant the fields and how to care 
for the crops. 

“This is what they learned about their four 
good friends, the Rain Makers: The Rain Maker 
of the North is yellow. During the winter moons 
his color is reflected by the morning and evening 
light. The chill, wintry wind is his cold breath. 
The gray and the blue of the twilight reflect the 
color of the blue world, where the Rain Maker of 
the West lives. His moist breath often sends 
rain. The Red Rain Maker of the South lives in 
the home of heat and of fire. He usually sends 
dryness, but sometimes breathes drizzling rain. 
Because of the light-gray dawn, the Rain Maker 
of the East is white. In his breath is the frost 
that ripens the seeds and paints the leaves. 

“The four Rain Makers live in the waters upon 
Mother Earth and in the Below World. They also 
live with the Cloud People. Their breath is the 

13 




mist, and their laughter is the pleasant ripple of j 
the streams. The Rain Makers use as gateways | 
from the Below World the springs which flow from j 
Mother Earth. ] 

“When the first bears awake from their long 
winter sleep, the great Thunder Spirit growls and 
sends rain in his breath. Slowly but surely the 
cold strength of the Yellow Rain Maker is broken. 
Finally he rushes angrily back to his home in the 
North. The summer moons begin. Mother Earth 
awakes and drinks deeply of the water that is sent 
by the Blue Rain Maker. Soon the Red Rain j 
Maker brings heat, and all the Plant People, big 
and little, begin to grow and whisper to one 
another. Then there is much work to do until ^ 
the White Rain Maker sings Mother Earth to sleep jl 
again during the winter moons. 

“The Red People also learned to work with 
the Cloud People, who brought the Rain Makers. 
But sometimes the Rain Makers fell asleep, and 
the Cloud People forgot to come. Then the Rain — 
Makers had to be awakened by prayers. 

“Slowly the Red People learned how to do * 
many things for themselves. But always they 
needed the help of Mother Earth and Father Sun. 

14 


“After every sleep Father Sun came to help. 
Every day he traveled across the sky upon the long 
trail which leads to the mountaintops in the west. 
The hard journey made Father Sun very tired. 
When he came to its end, he always stopped to 
rest for a moment. Then he dropped into a big, 
beautiful lake. Through this lake he entered the 
Land of Darkness, where the Underneath People 
live. Even now Father Sun never forgets to come 
to the Red People.” 

Thus Tall Oak ended his story. Star and 
White Cloud had followed it closely. Big Eagle 
and Singing Leaves had also listened with interest 
even though they had both heard the story many 
times. They always liked to have the old Story¬ 
teller visit them. 

Slowly rising, the old man drew his blanket 
about him and prepared to leave. But before he 
was lost in the darkness of the plaza (pla'za), he 
again reminded Star and White Cloud, “You must 
not forget how your people came to this happy 
land. Also, you must never forget to thank Mother 
Earth and Father Sun.” 





THE SLEEPY RAIN MAKERS 


Some days later Big Eagle and his family were 
again gathered about the doorway of their home. 
Like other families in the pueblo, they were 
watching the shadows lengthen as the sun traveled 
farther and farther toward the west. 

Star and White Cloud watched the sky turn 
from turquoise (tur'koiz) to crimson and gold. 
The children were thinking of what the Story¬ 
teller had said. It seemed to them that Father 
Sun did stop to rest on the distant mountain. 

As his rays lightly touched the topmost leaves 
of the cottonwood tree in the plaza, the children 
thought that he was kissing the tree good night. 
On the walls of the houses, he painted bright spots 
of glowing color. His golden fingers changed the 
whole pueblo into a dreamland. 

In this land of sunshine the houses were usu¬ 
ally made of adobe (a-do'bi), or clay bricks baked 
by the sun. With no space between them, the 
flat-roofed houses were built around a large, open 
square, or plaza. 


i6 


Above the first row of houses another row was 
built. Although the pueblo, or village, in which 
Star lived had only two rows of houses, some of 
the neighboring pueblos were seven stories high. 
On the plaza side each row was set back farther 
than the one beneath it so that the stories of houses 
looked like big stairways leading from the plaza to 
the sky. The people who lived in the top rows 
used ladders to reach their homes. If there was 
danger, they pulled up the ladders. 

The outside walls of the pueblo were solid. 
Only at one corner was there an opening in the 
walls, through which the Indians could enter or 
leave the plaza. This opening had a strong, heavy 
gate, which could be closed in time of danger. 
The pueblo had been built like a fort so that the 
Pueblo Indians could protect themselves against 
their enemies. The worst of these were the 
Apaches (a-pach'ez), the Navahos (nav'a-hoz), and 
the Comanches (ko-man'chez). 

Some of the houses had open front porches. 
It was upon such a porch that Big Eagle and his 
family now sat. While the children watched the 
sunlight, the mother and father talked about the 
crops. Both were worried. 

17 


“If the Rain Makers do not visit us soon, we 
shall go hungry during the cold moons,” said Big 
Eagle. 

“Yes,” began Singing Leaves slowly. “Mother 
Earth is hot and dry. All the Plant People are 
thirsty. Unless the Black Cloud People open their 
doors, we shall not have enough food for our little 
ones.” 

“And there will be no wild cotton to use for 
clothing to keep us warm,” said the worried 
father. 

Star and White Cloud were listening now. 
Young as they were, they knew what would hap¬ 
pen if no rain fell in time to save the crops. 

“The grama (gra'ma) grass near the coulees 
(koo'lis) is drying up. It is hard for the burros 
(bur'oz) to get enough to eat,” broke in Star. 

• “The river is almost dry,” said White Cloud. 
“Only a little muddy water is left.” 

“You are right,” her father said. “The many 
daughter ditches are already empty. The river is 
so low that it cannot fill the mother ditches.” 

Singing Leaves spoke up sadly, “We must ask 
the Sky People to help us. They must send the 
Black Cloud People with the Rain Makers.” 

i8 


i 

I 

! 



Big Eagle and His Family 








To these Pueblo Indians who lived in the dry, 
sandy Southwest, rain was one of the most im¬ 
portant things in the world. Their food, their 
clothing, and their lives depended upon the water 
which the Sky People sent them. If the grass 
and shrubs died, all the wild animals went else¬ 
where to live. Without meat to eat and without 
skins to wear, the Indians would have a very hard 
time. If their crops failed completely, they might 
even starve. 

For generations these Pueblo Indians had been 
a peaceful farming people. Had their warlike 
neighbors, the Apaches, the Navahos, and the 
Comanches, let them alone, they would gladly 
have spent their days in peace and quiet. They 
asked for nothing more than a chance to make a 
hard-earned living from their fields. 

Of all the Indians whom the white man found 
in this country, none were better farmers than the 
Pueblo Indians. None worked harder nor pro¬ 
duced better crops. Near the bank of the river on 
a fertile plain not far from the pueblo in which Big 
Eagle lived, stretched well-tended fields. There 
Big Eagle and the other Indians cultivated their 
fields of grain, vegetables, and melons. 


20 


Yet farming was not easy for these Indians of 
the hot, dry lands. No matter how hard they 
worked, their crops sometimes failed, usually for 
lack of water. Often not enough rain fell to keep 
their plants alive. Or when it did fall, it did not 
come at the right time. For these reasons the 
Pueblo Indians had learned another way of bring¬ 
ing water to their planted fields. 

Around each field the Indians dug a deep 
ditch. They called this ditch a mother ditch. 
They joined it to the river and let it fill with water. 
Smaller ditches, known as daughter ditches, were 
dug across each field and were joined at each end 
to the mother ditch. When the Rain Makers for¬ 
got to come, the Indians turned the water from 
the mother ditches into the daughter ditches. 
Then the smaller ditches gave the thirsty plants a 
drink. 

But now the Cloud People had not opened 
their doors for so long that even the river was 
nearly dry. Very little water was left in the 
mother ditches. The young corn and wheat 
plants hung their heads as they begged for a drink. 
Mother Earth was sorry, but, unless the Rain 
Makers helped, she could do nothing. Everyone 


21 



Workers in the Fields 




in the pueblo wanted the Cloud People to come. 
Each day found the Indians sending up silent 
prayers to the Sky People. 

Like Big Eagle and his family, most of the 
other families were gathered about their door¬ 
ways. They seemed to be waiting for something 
to happen as they silently watched Father Sun 
going down in the western sky. 




23 


IN THE KIVA 


Suddenly the silence which had fallen upon 
the pueblo was broken by the deep boom of a 
tom-tom. The sound came from the roof of the 
kiva (ke'va), or council house. Everyone knew 
what the voice of the tom-tom said. The Cacique 
(ka-sek')> or religious chief, had sent his messenger 
to call the councilmen to a meeting in the kiva. 
It was for this call that all the Indians had been 
waiting. 

Rising from the porch. Big Eagle wrapped his 
blanket about him. Then, telling his family good 
night, he joined the other men who were walking 
toward the kiva. All knew why the Cacique had 
called the council together. It was to decide upon 
the best way to get the sleepy Rain Makers to 
come out of their sky homes and send a drink to 
thirsty Mother Earth. 

The kiva was the most important building in 
the pueblo. It was there that the Cacique went 
when he wanted to fast and pray alone. It was 
there that all who took part in the sacred and 
24 


often secret ceremonies of the tribe gathered. 
And it was there that the councilmen decided all 
matters important to the tribe. 

In some ways the flat-roofed kiva was built 
much like the other houses in the pueblo. Its 
main roof beams reached from one side to the 
other, and the ends stuck out through the adobe 
walls. Inside the kiva wooden posts held up these 
big beams, across which smaller logs had been 
laid. The logs had been covered with brush, and 
this, in turn, had been coated with a thick blanket 
of wet clay, which the hot sun had baked hard. 

In other ways the kiva was quite different 
from the houses. It was only a one-story build¬ 
ing and was partly underground. The adobe 
walls were built up about three feet above the 
flat roof. These walls were broken only where 
an adobe stairway led to the plaza beneath. 

Near the middle of the roof was an opening 
about four feet wide and six feet long. This was 
the only way into the single room beneath. This 
opening served as a doorway, a window, and a 
chimney. From the opening a ladder, extending 
some ten or twelve feet above the roof, pointed 
always to the North Star. 

25 


When Big Eagle reached the kiva, he walked 
up the stairway to the roof. Then he went down 
the ladder into the kiva. He found himself in a 
large, dimly-lighted room. 

The floor was made of stones carefully set in 
adobe. Light came through the large hole in the 
roof. Almost directly under this opening was a 
pit that was used as a fireplace. Here, during the 
summer moons, a small fire gave light. During 
the winter moons a larger fire gave heat and light. 

On one side of the room another smaller pit 
had been dug in the kiva floor. This opening was 
covered by a board, in the center of which was a 
small, round hole. This hole, which was now 
carefully closed by a tight, wooden plug, was 
called the sipapu (se'pa-poo). It was supposed to 
be the opening in Mother Earth through which 
the Twin Warriors had led the good Red People 
from the Underneath World. 

The Indians believed that the Underneath 
spirits could enter the kiva through the sipapu. 
At all their important meetings the councilmen 
wanted these spirits to be present. So whenever 
the council met, the plug was removed from the 
hole in the board. 


26 





The Crier 







On the walls of the kiva were shelves upon 
which small, carved images of the Indian gods 
had been placed. On these shelves were also kept 
the masks and other sacred things which were 
used in the dances and ceremonies. 

As each man came down the ladder into the 
kiva, he quietly took his place in the half circle 
of men who sat on the floor around two sides of 
the fireplace. The other half was kept open for 
the religious leader, the Cacique. When they sat 
down, the councilmen did not speak, but waited 
silently for the Cacique to open the meeting. 

The Cacique was a wise man, who had been 
picked for his high office when he was still a boy. 
He had been carefully trained for his important 
duties, for he led the pueblo in its religion and 
government. He would hold his office as long as 
he lived. Everyone in the village felt sure that 
the Cacique received his wisdom from the gods. 
It was not strange then that his people always 
listened carefully to whatever he said. 

When the last man had taken his place, the 
Cacique rose and silently removed the plug from 
the sipapu. Next he lighted a cigarette and slowly 
blew puffs of smoke as a prayer to the spirits. 

28 


Then, looking about the circle, he said in deep, 
earnest tones: 

“The Rain Makers are asleep. The Black 
Cloud People do not open their doors. The 
ditches are nearly empty. Our crops need water 
and may soon die of thirst. We must pray to the 
sleepy Rain Makers. We must dance to awaken 
them so that they will visit us soon.” 

Then the Cacique sat down, and each man was 
given a chance to tell what he thought should be 
done. Many of the councilmen spoke. All agreed 
that it was necessary to awaken the sleeping Rain 
Makers. Everyone was in favor of the dance as 
a prayer to the Sky People. 

Long after the men had gone to the kiva, the 
Indian families sat near their doorways. All were 
awaiting news from the meeting. The long shad¬ 
ows slowly deepened. Father Sun went to rest 
behind the distant mountains. Yet in the clear 
desert air there was still light enough to see. 

Big Eagle’s family eagerly watched the top of 
the ladder which pointed up from the kiva open¬ 
ing. But at last Little Bird fell fast asleep. When 
Singing Leaves saw that Little Bird’s eyes were 
tightly closed, she called softly to Star and White 


29 


Cloud. The little family went into its home 
to rest. 

Soon other families did the same. Finally 
everyone in the village, except the councilmen in 
the kiva, was at rest. Not until long after Father 
Sun had set did shadowy figures flit from the kiva 
across the plaza and into the houses. Not until 
then had the council decided how to awaken their 
sleepy helpers. 


30 


THE PRAYER TO THE RAIN MAKERS 


The next morning Singing Leaves awoke very 
early, as usual. As she rose from her bed of blan¬ 
kets and skins, she looked about the dimly-lighted 
room, where her husband and the children lay 
asleep on the floor. 

Walking quietly through the doorway into the 
morning dusk of the plaza. Singing Leaves looked 
toward the east. She saw Morning Star shining 
brightly. Father Sun had not yet come from the 
Underneath Land, but she knew from his mes¬ 
senger that he would soon appear. 

On all four sides of the plaza, smoke was lazily 
curling from pottery chimney tops. To Singing 
Leaves, this meant that other women of the pueblo 
were also awake and ready to begin their day’s 
work. 

She went back into the house to light her own 
fire in the big adobe fireplace so that she could 
prepare the morning meal. When the fire was 
lighted, she awakened Big Eagle. 

Wanting to know what kind of day to expect, 

31 







Big Eagle, too, stepped out into the plaza. He 
looked past the top of the mesa (ma'sa), which 
overshadowed the pueblo to the east. There Fa¬ 
ther Sun was already painting the sky with fingers 
of light; so Big Eagle made his offering of corn 
meal as a prayer. 

Nowhere in the sky did Big Eagle see the 
Cloud People that he had hoped to find. The 
air was hot and still. Not even a breeze disturbed 
the white smoke as it left the chimneys. In a 
straight line it rose toward the sky above. This, 
Big Eagle knew, was the message of a clear day. 
He knew, too, that the Rain Makers still slept. 

Just after Father Sun rose above the eastern 
mountaintops, a crier climbed the stairway to the 
roof of the kiva. First he, too, offered up a prayer 
to the rising sun. Then, after beating his tom¬ 
tom to awaken the sleepy ones, he shouted loudly, 
“The Rain Makers are asleep. The Cloud People 
do not come. Our corn and our wheat plants are 
thirsty: The river is low. Even the daughter 
ditches are stopping their work. We must awaken 
the sleepy Cloud People. We must pray to the 
Rain Makers. Come to the kiva for the dance to 
the Rain Makers!” 


32 


Star and White Cloud had been awakened by 
the crier. As they ate the morning meal, the 
members of Big Eagle’s family talked about the 
coming dance. The children’s black eyes spar¬ 
kled, for all the young Indians liked to watch the 
dancing in the plaza. After the meal was over. 
Singing Leaves and White Cloud quickly fin¬ 
ished the housework. 

Then, while the little girl stood as still as she 
could. Singing Leaves, with a gaily-colored blan¬ 
ket, tied Little Bird to White Cloud’s back. 
Although she was not very old. White Cloud liked 
to take care of her little brother. She liked to 
hear him laugh and chatter. She knew that he, 
like most Indian babies, did not cry very often. 

Now that the baby was tightly fastened to 
White Cloud’s back. Singing Leaves dressed for 
the dance. Like all the other women who would 
take part, she wore her usual knee-length dress. 
It was made of a single piece of cloth which was 
brought up under the left arm and fastened over 
the right shoulder. Her feet and legs she left 
bare. She combed her long, coal-black hair and 
let it hang free down her back. 

From a shelf she hfted down her beautiful 


33 


headdress. It was made of wood and stood at 
least eighteen inches high. Carved with sacred 
cloud symbols and painted bright green, it was 
the headdress Pueblo Indian women had always 
worn in the sacred dance to the Rain Makers. 

Around her neck Singing Leaves hung a beau¬ 
tiful necklace made of shells and large turquoise 
beads. Next she painted a bright red spot over 
each cheekbone. Then, after taking a branch of 
sacred juniper (joo'ni-per) in each hand, she was 
ready to go to the kiva. 

Big Eagle had long been dressed for the dance. 
On top of his head he had fastened a small twig of 
sacred juniper. Like Singing Leaves, he, too, had 
a shell and turquoise necklace. But his necklace 
fitted closely around his neck. He wore no shirt, 
for the upper part of his body was painted. 

From his waist hung a short dance skirt woven 
from wild cotton and embroidered in bright col¬ 
ors. To the back of this skirt was fastened a 
bushy dance tail made of fox skin. 

Unlike Singing Leaves, Big Eagle wore deer¬ 
skin moccasins (mok'a-sins). In his left hand he 
carried a juniper branch. In his right hand he 
held a gourd (gord) rattle. 


34 


When Singing Leaves was dressed, she and 
her husband went to the kiva, where the other 
dancers were already gathering. All were very 
quiet as they waited for the dance to begin. 

While the older people who were to make the 
prayer dance were meeting at the kiva, the chil¬ 
dren gathered in groups at the edge of the plaza. 
Although they were still too young to dance with 
their parents, they were much interested in every¬ 
thing that happened. 

White Cloud joined a group of little girls, who 
also carried babies on their backs. They did not 
seem to mind their burdens but ran and played 
as usual. A Pueblo Indian girl seldom played 
with dolls. Perhaps she found it more interesting 
to care for real babies, who could crow and laugh. 

At last the deep voice of a tom-tom came from 
within the kiva. Soon the children saw the chant¬ 
ers, some of the older men of the pueblo, coming 
out from the kiva and down the stairway which 
led to the plaza. Leading them was an Indian 
with a drum. As he reached the ground, the 
drummer again beat his big tom-tom. The drum 
had been made by stretching rawhide across each 
end of a hollow cottonwood log. The sides of the 

35 


drum had been painted with bright red and yellow 
colors. But even more interesting to the children 
than the gay colors was the deep, regular boom 
that came from the tom-tom as the drummer 
struck it with his big, skin-covered drumstick. 

The chanters gathered closely around the drum¬ 
mer. First they began to sing softly, then more 
and more loudly. As they chanted their weird 
songs, their feet and arms kept time to the deep 
voice of the tom-tom. 

Behind the chanters came the dancers, led by 
three men. The center man, wearing yellow leg¬ 
gings, carried a bright-colored blanket fastened to 
a long pole. At the top of the pole were three 
eagle feathers, and below the blanket hung a beau¬ 
tiful, shiny fox skin. 

Following the leaders came the double lines 
of dancers. On the left side were the women, 
wearing headdresses like that of Singing Leaves; 
on the right side were the men, all of whom were 
dressed much like Big Eagle. 

Up and down the plaza they danced. Their 
gourds and their juniper branches beat time to the 
singing of the chanters and the booming of the 
tom-tom. 


36 


As the children watched the dancers, they 
hoped that the Cloud People would see the dance 
and hear the prayers of their parents. Although 
they were young, the children knew how hungry 
they would be if the Cloud People did not open 
their doors and send the Rain Makers. 

White Cloud seldom let her eyes wander from 
her mother and father. She was very proud of 
her parents as they kept time to the music. 

“How fine the dancers look,” she said to a 
little friend who was standing near her. “Don’t 
you wish you could dance with them?” 

“Yes,” answered the other girl. “And I should 
like to wear such pretty beads and such a beau¬ 
tiful green headdress as Mother has.” 

While the men and women danced, they were 
closely followed by the little boys. Star and some 
of his friends carried out a dance of their own. 
Although they could not dance with the grown 
people, they wanted to help, too. They tried to 
do as the men did. If their fathers did not dance 
fast enough, the boys put extra steps into their 
own dance. They laughed at the fun they were 
having. 

Up and down moved the chanters and dancers. 

37 


I 

I 



The Dance to the Rain Makers 






Not once did any of the grown people smile dur¬ 
ing their solemn prayer to the Rain Makers. If 
they grew tired from their long dance, they did 
not show that they did. 

Finally, when the sun was straight overhead, 
the dancing and chanting stopped. All sat down 
to a feast which had been prepared by the older 
women and the little girls. After everyone had 
eaten and rested, the prayer dance was begun 
once more to the boom of the tom-tom. Not 
until Father Sun paused to rest on the mountain 
peak in the west did the Indians stop moving up 
and down the plaza. 

All the dancers were very tired, but they did 
not care about that. The people of the pueblo 
were satisfied that they had done their best to 
awaken the sleeping Rain Makers. As the tired 
Indians went to bed that night, they silently 
hoped that the Cloud People had heard the prayer 
and would soon open their doors to give Mother 
Earth a good drink. 


39 


THE RAIN MAKERS’ VISIT 

When the sun peeped over the mesa the next 
morning, not a cloud was in the sky. Still the 
Pueblo Indians were sure that if the Cloud People 
had heard the prayer, they would send the Rain 
Makers to help. If the Cloud People had not 
been listening and did not send the Rain Makers 
soon, the dancers and chanters would dance another 
day to awaken their sleepy helpers. 

The Indians did not give up hope. Perhaps 
the Cloud People were holding a council of their 
own. If so, they would not hurry, for no one 
hurried in this “land of tomorrow.” Perhaps the 
Rain Makers were busy, helping another pueblo. 
Or perhaps the Sky People did not know how 
much they were needed. 

As soon as Father Sun had started to travel 
across the sky. Big Eagle and Star, with the other 
men and boys, went to work in the fields. 

Although they believed the Rain Makers would 
come, the Indians had learned to waste not one 
drop of moisture. Before turning any of the wa- 

40 


ter into the daughter ditches, the men loosened 
the dirt around the plants. For this purpose the 
Pueblo Indians used a dibble (dib"l), or digging 
stick. This long stick, ending in a knife-shaped, 
wooden paddle, helped to break open the hard, 
dry earth. 

For a time the men and boys worked steadily. 
They wanted to help Mother Earth as much as 
they could. By and by Star grew tired. He felt 
the blazing heat of the hot sun; so he stopped to 
rest. As he stood in the field, leaning on his 
dibble, he looked around at the sky as far as he 
could see. Above him it was clear; no Cloud 
People could be seen there. But far, far away 
where the sky seemed to meet Mother Earth, he 
thought he saw some of the Cloud People. They 
looked very small and thin. They seemed to be 
drifting slowly toward him. He was not sure; so 
he called to Big Eagle, who was working near him. 

“Father, do you see the Cloud People over 
there above the hills?” 

“Yes,” answered Big Eagle. “I see them, too. 
You have good eyes, my boy.” 

Star smiled proudly at his father’s praise. By 
this time all the Indians had stopped their work. 


41 


They were anxiously watching the faraway Cloud 
People. 

“I hope they are not dust clouds,” said Big! 
Eagle to a friend near by. 

“So do I,” the friend replied. “Dust clouds 
are bad. They bring storms of sand.” 

“Let us hope that the Cloud People find our 
pueblo and do not open their doors before they 
reach us,” said another worker. 

Just then the Indians felt a gentle southeast 
breeze. All were glad it came from that direc¬ 
tion. Had the breeze been from the west, it would ^ 
have frightened the Cloud People away. As thej) 
wind grew stronger, it gave courage to the tired 
men and boys. Sure now that the Rain Makers 
had heard their prayers and were at last coming 
to help them, the Indians again set to work. 

More and more Black Cloud People came out 
from their hiding places behind the mountain. 
The Indians could now see that the Wind People 
were bringing the black clouds over the fields. 
The sky became darker and darker. Soon a thick 
blanket hid Father Sun. The air became cooler 
and cooler. Before long the Thunder Bird began 
to call in the distance. 


42 




The southeast wind grew stronger. At last it 
became so strong that it blew open the doors of 
the Cloud People’s home. Little by little, the 
Rain Makers came out from behind the dark 
clouds. They slowly tipped their buckets, and 
drops of water began to fall to Mother Earth. 
As they fell from the sky, they puffed up the dry 
dust in the fields. 

When the first gentle raindrops began to fall, 
the Indians started for the pueblo. All were quiet 
as they walked home. They were sending silent 
prayers of thanks to their helpers in the sky. As 
the men and boys neared the gate, the little chil¬ 
dren, dancing and laughing for joy, came running 
out to welcome the fieldworkers home. 

Mother Earth was also grateful to the Sky 
People. As she caught the gentle raindrops in 
her lap, she sent out her fragrant breath in thanks. 
And when the thirsty corn and wheat plants drank 
the cool water, they lifted their slender heads and 
smiled their thanks to the Rain Makers and to the 
Above People. 

At first the scattered drops only dimpled the 
little pools in the river. But it was not long before 
the Cloud People opened wide their doors, and a 

43 


heavy rain began to fall. Soon the daughterj 
ditches were filled; then the mother ditches slowly! 
overflowed. In a short time the river began ris¬ 
ing. Before night it was full from bank to bank) 
As the rain kept falling, Mother Earth drank 
more and more deeply. 

Long after the Indians had reached the pueblo, 
the rain continued to fall. Then, late in the day,' 
the northwest wind began to blow. The Cloud 
People closed their doors and carried the Rain 
Makers away. Perhaps they went to answer the 
prayers of another pueblo that needed help. 

Shortly after the rainfall was over, a large 
number of women and children started toward 
the swimming hole in the river. On their heads' 
the women and some of the older girls carried 
large pottery water jars. Many of the mothers' 
carried their babies. In the group was Singing' 
Leaves, with Little Bird tied to her back. White 
Cloud walked beside her mother. 

Star, with the other boys, ran ahead. So eager 
were they for a swim that they pulled off their 
clothes as they ran. The young lads wanted to* 
jump into the water as soon as they reached the; 
bank of the river. 


44 



Splash! Splash! Splash! One after another 
the boys dived into the river. At the first touch 
of the cold water, they gasped for breath. But 
they soon forgot the chill as they swam about like 
wild ducklings. As they splashed one another 
and played games in the water, they squealed for 
joy. 

Soon the women and girls reached the river. 
They waded out into the water and washed their 
skirts. When their clothing was clean, the mothers 
took the babies from their backs and dipped them 
chin-deep into the river. As the fat little babies 
splashed in the water, they, too, chuckled and 
laughed with glee. 

By and by the older women were ready to go 
back to the pueblo. But they did not make the 
children leave the river. Instead, the mothers 
stood knee-deep in the cool water and watched 
closely so that no harm should come to the fear¬ 
less, happy children. 

After a time, the little swimmers had had 
enough. While the children dressed, the women 
went upstream and filled their water jars with the 
clear, sparkling water that was bubbling along the 
riverbank. 


45 




The Dip 










Each lifted her full water jar to the top of her 
head. Then, walking slowly so that no water 
would spill, the party started homeward. Star, 
feeling fresh and clean, ran on ahead. He did 
not wait for his mother and his sister, both of 
whom were carrying heavy jars of water. 

When Star reached the pueblo, he noticed that 
Tall Oak had already gathered around him a small 
group of boys. Star quickly joined the group, for 
he knew that the old man was about to tell a story. 
Nodding his head to Star, Tall Oak began his tale. 

“Today you saw the Sky People send the Rain 
Makers to help us. The White Cloud People do 
not bring the Rain Makers. They are only the 
beautiful cloud flowers behind which the Rain 
People play. It is the Black Cloud People who 
carry the Rain Makers. 

“Before the Rain Makers can come to us, they 
must have water. To get it, they go to the hollow 
tree that lives near the sacred springs beyond the 
mountains. The tree is so tall that its top reaches 
up to the Cloud People. The Rain People climb 
down inside the tree trunk and fill their big jars 
with the sacred water from the springs. They 
carry the jars back through the tree trunk. Then 

47 



they creep behind the Black Cloud People. When 
the Sky People open their doors, the Rain Makers 
sprinkle the water down upon Mother Earth. 

“Sometimes the Rain Makers are lazy. They 
do not like to carry the water up the hollow tree 
trunk. So they sprinkle only a little water from 
their jars. 

“Then the terrible Thunder Birds come out 
from their homes in the far mountains. The 
Thunder Birds are huge spirits with black wings 
and tails of solid rock. In their anger, they clash 
their wings, scream loudly, and make such a noise 
that they frighten the Rain Makers. Then the 
Rain People quickly empty their jars. They hurry 
about as they carry more and more water from 
the sacred springs. When the Thunder Birds 
think that Mother Earth is satisfied, they are quiet 
and go back to their rocky homes. Then the Rain 
Makers stop their work. 

“While the Rain People are working, the bright 
flashes of light that you see are made by the magic 
arrows of the war gods. The flashes come when 
the gods shoot their arrows through the sky. The 
magic arrows are tipped with lightning stone. 
Sometimes the arrows of the war gods strike in 
48 



the mountains of Mother Earth. At those places 
we find the lightning stone, or flint, which we know 
is hard enough for arrowheads and knives. 

“The next time that the Cloud People open 
their doors, you must not forget to look for the 
Thunder Birds and the arrows of the war gods,” 
concluded Tall Oak. 

Pleased with the old man’s story, the boys 
scampered home. They had learned much about 
the Rain Makers and would be sure to watch 
more closely when the Sky People came again. 

That night when Father Sun paused above the 
western mountains for his usual last look, he saw 
a very happy pueblo. The air was washed clean 
and fresh. A sweet smell arose from the pinons 
(pe'nyons) and the sagebrush. Mother Earth had 
taken a deep drink and was no longer thirsty. 
The river was rising, and the ditches were full. 
The Rain Makers had awakened and answered the 
Indians’ prayers. Before eating the evening meal, 
every family had made an offering of corn meal 
to the gods. 


49 


A TRIP TO THE WOODLANDS 


One day, after the visit of the Rain Makers, 
Big Eagle and his family were sitting before the 
fireplace. They were eating their evening meal. 
A bowl of corn-meal stew and a large basket of 
bread stood near them. 

As they finished the meal. Singing Leaves 
said, “Our bread is nearly gone; I shall soon have 
to bake. But before I can do that, I shall need 
more firewood. What we have will last only a 
little longer.” 

Big Eagle put his hand on Star’s shoulder. 
“Tomorrow we must go into the woodlands, my 
son,” he said. 

Star did not smile, for he was disappointed. 
In the first place, he did not like to go for wood. 
Besides, he had planned to go hunting with some 
of his friends the next day. But the boy did not 
object. Instead, he tried to forget about the hunt. 
He knew that his mother needed wood for the big 
fireplace in which she cooked the family meals. 
Without wood to heat the large, smooth bread 

50 


stone in the fireplace. Singing Leaves could bake 
no more of her delicious corncakes that were as 
thin as tree leaves. Nor could she heat the round 
oven that stood in the plaza and was used for 
baking her family’s bread. Star liked to eat and 
was especially fond of his mother’s bread and corn- 
cakes. He knew that he must help his father bring 
a supply of wood or he could not have the food 
he liked. 

To the Pueblo Indians, wood was a most im¬ 
portant fuel. The branches from the cottonwood 
and aspen (as'pen) trees that grew near the village 
did not give much heat. To get their firewood, 
the Indians were sometimes forced to go a long 
distance. In the coulees and canyons (kan'ytins) 
of the mountains, pinon and scrub oak trees were 
to be found. So when fuel was needed, each 
family went to the woodlands after its own fire¬ 
wood. 

That night Big Eagle and his family went to 
sleep early. No one wondered whether the next 
day would be clear or rainy. In this land of sun¬ 
shine Father Sun smiled on the pueblos nearly 
every day. 

Long before the sun came from his cave in 

51 


the east. Big Eagle and his family had eaten the 
morning meal. Star and his father wanted an 
early start for the long, hard trip. 

As soon as Star had finished eating, he went 
to the big corral (ko-rah), close to the pueblo. 
Here all the horses and burros were kept. Mount¬ 
ing his father’s horse. Star soon rounded up his 
own little burro and Big Eagle’s five pack burros. 
Then he quickly drove the animals to the door of 
his home, where his father was waiting. 

Star slid from the horse’s back and jumped 
upon his own little beast. Although he loved his 
little burro. Star could not help wishing that he 
had a horse of his own. 

When Big Eagle mounted his horse and rode 
ahead toward the river. Star started the burros 
in single file along the trail after his father. To 
keep them from straying from the path or from 
eating along the way. Star stayed at the end of the 
line. 

Big Eagle led the way straight to the ford, 
where they were to cross the. river. As Star 
watched his father and the pack burros splash 
through the water, he saw that the river was much 
higher than usual. When it was his turn to cross. 


52 



he pulled his feet up so that his moccasins and 
deerskin leggings would not get wet. He knew 
that if the water touched his clothing, it would 
have to stay wet until Father Sun dried it. 

After fording the river, Big Eagle rode across 
the sandy stretch, where a straight trail through 
the green-gray sagebrush soon brought the group 
to the foothills. Here the leader turned off upon 
a winding path which led into a narrow canyon 
with steep, rocky sides. Only here and there did 
the travelers see a lonely pihon or cedar tree brave 
enough to make its home among the barren, sand¬ 
stone cliffs. 

In the canyon there was much for Star to see. 
Everywhere the Wind People had been patiently 
cutting away at the rocky sides. At one place, he 
noticed what he believed to be a crooked path, 
now almost lost. It wound up from the canyon 
floor and along a steep cliff to the flat mesa above. 
He called to his father and pointed to the pathway. 

“Father, that looks like an old path up the 
rocks.” 

Big Eagle stopped his horse and waited for his 
son to catch up. He praised Star for seeing the 
dim pathway. Then, as they drove the burros up 

53 




the narrow canyon, Big Eagle told his son about 
the Long-Ago People. 

“What I tell you was told to me by Tall Oak 
and Thundering Rock, his father. They learned 
the story from their fathers, who learned it from 
their fathers. Before the Wind People and the 
Rain Makers played with the path, it was a good 
one. It led to a pueblo on the mesa. The ruins 
of the houses are still there.” 

“Does anyone live there now?” broke in Star. 

“No,” answered Big Eagle. “No one has 
lived there for many, many snows. Only the 
Animal People and the Wind People play there 
now.” 

“Have you ever seen the old pueblo. Father?” 
asked Star. 

“Yes, my son. Once, with a hunting party, I 
climbed up the mesa. The houses looked much 
like our own. But the walls were mostly rock. 
There were no doors or windows, but only holes 
in the roofs. Perhaps the pueblo was built by our 
own Long-Ago People.” 

“But why did they live on the mesa?” Star 
asked. “Our pueblo is in the valley.” 

Big Eagle nodded to show that he liked Star’s 

54 


question. Then he said, “I shall tell you what 
the Storyteller told me. 

“When our Long-Ago People came here, there 
were many bad people on Mother Earth. The 
bad ones were always trying to kill the good people. 
There was much fighting. 

“Our First People foimd it better to live on 
the high mesas. The only way to get to the tops 
was by narrow paths hke the one you saw. Brave 
warriors were kept at the upper ends of the paths. 
From there the warriors could see a long distance. 
It was not easy for other tribes to attack them. 

“Life was hard for the people on the mesas. 
They had to climb down the long, rough paths 
whenever they wanted water. Sometimes, to help 
them, a Thunder Bird with his powerful beak 
dug big holes in the rocky tops of the mesas to 
hold the water that the Cloud People sent. The 
Animal People and the Wild Plant People gave 
the Red Men food. 

“Later they learned to raise Plant People. 
They found that these grew best in the valleys, 
where it was not safe to be caught by an enemy. 
Yet the plants needed constant care. Our Long- 
Ago People did not know what to do. 

55 


“At last they decided it would be easier and 
better to live on the level ground. They knew 
they must be ready to fight at any time. But that 
did not frighten or stop them. Our brave people 
left their homes on the mesas and moved to the 
valleys. There they could be close to their fields 
and the water in the rivers. They built their 
pueblos so they could be easily defended in case 
of attack. 

“That was when our pueblo was built,” ended 
Big Eagle as he stopped his horse long enough to 
make an offering of corn meal to the spirits of 
these Long-Ago People who had lived on the 
mesas. v 

Star wished that he and his father had time to 
follow the winding path, now claimed by the Wind 
People, the Rain People, and the mysterious past. 
Perhaps sometime he could come back to visit the 
pueblo on the mesa. As Big Eagle Jed the way 
along the trail. Star looked back at the faraway 
top of the canyon. He hoped to catch a glimpse 
of the old, old houses there. 

As they rode on. Star saw more and more 
trees growing near the trail. At last he and his 
father reached a place where the canyon widened 

-56 


into a little grassy opening. Here Big Eagle 
stopped and slid from his horse as a sign that this 
was the end of the journey. 

Leaving the animals to feed and rest, the 
Indians set to work. Star picked up all the pieces 
of wood he could carry and took them back to the 
trail. His father gathered pieces which were too 
large for Star to carry. The smaller pieces were 
tied into neat bundles so that they could be easily 
packed on the backs of the burros. 

Long before enough wood had been gathered, 
Star was tired. He decided that it was much 
more fun to go hunting with his father than it was 
to pick up wood. But the work had to be done; 
so Star did not stop to rest. 

At last plenty of wood was piled by the trail. 
Star helped his father load the five pack burros, 
and the wood gatherers were ready to start for 
home. At the start Big Eagle led the way, but he 
soon joined his son at the end of the line. 

The burros wanted to stop along the way to 
rest and to eat the tender green grass. But Star 
and his father drove the lazy beasts steadily along. 
They could not be very tired or hungry, for they 
had been resting or eating a long time. 

57 




Bringing in the Wood 















The sun was casting long shadows before the 
burros were allowed to stop in the plaza. Singing 
Leaves and White Cloud helped unload the burros 
and pack the wood away. 

Then Star drove the tired animals to the corral. 
For once, he did not stop to pet his own litde 
burro. He was too tired and himgry. Besides, 
he was sure that his mother would have hot corn- 
; cakes for the evening meal. Star hked these thin 
I wafers better than any other bread. He almost 
ran back to the house, he was so eager to taste the 
cakes. 

While he was eating his cakes, he had a hard 
time to keep awake. He was so tired that he for¬ 
got to tell White Cloud about the many wonder¬ 
ful things he had seen. He hoped that he and his 
father had brought enough wood to last a long, 
long time. 




BOYS WITH THE HEARTS OF MEN 


The Blue Rain Maker of the West had come 
to live in the valley. His hot, moist breath helped 
the Plant People to grow big and strong. The 
men of the pueblo no longer needed to work every 
day in the fields but had time to do other things. 

One morning just after Father Sun had started 
on his journey. Star saw a crier with his tom-tom 
coming down from the kiva roof. 

“This is the day for boys,” the messenger 
called out in a slow, deep voice as he walked 
through the plaza. “All boys who have been in¬ 
vited come to the kiva now.” 

Star’s eyes shone brightly as he listened to 
this short message. He had long known that he 
would be called to the kiva. He knew, too, that 
it was not for fun that he and the other boys 
selected had been called. What they learned to¬ 
day would be a part of their training for manhood. 

Among the Pueblo Indians every boy received 
two kinds of training. One was given by the 
Storyteller, who taught the legends and history 
6o 



of the tribe. Star liked that training, but he liked 
: even better the training given by the War Leader. 
From him. Star learned the habits, customs, and 
games of his tribe. 

Every Pueblo Indian boy was taught to build 
a strong body. He was taught to hunt, to dance, 
and to take a worthy part in the games. He was 
also given much practice in running, for the 
Pueblo Indians were proud of their ability to run 
long distances without tiring. 

Knowing that his father would take him to 
the kiva, Star ran home. Big Eagle was standing 
in the doorway, waiting for his son. 

“Today the War Leader is going to watch the 
boys race in honor of Father Sun,” his father said 
quietly. “You must show that you are swift and 
strong, my son.” 

“I shall do my best,” Star said simply. 

Star knew that he was a good runner, for he 
had often raced with the other boys. He hoped 
’ that sometime he would be able to run as fast as 
his father. That would not be easy, for Big Eagle 
was the best runner in the pueblo. He was known 
j throughout the country for his running and had 
I won many prizes and much honor for his village. 
6i 




Soon every boy who had been invited had 
come to the kiva. The young Indians were eager 
to go into the council room. They were seldom 
invited there, and they wanted to hear what the 
War Leader had to say. When all the men and 
boys, including two little fellows of only five sum¬ 
mers, had entered the kiva, the War Leader made 
an offering to the spirits. 

“Today you must run to honor Father Sun. 
We shall see who have the strong hearts of men,” 
he said to the listening boys. 

The Leader then chose two of the Indian fa¬ 
thers to act as leaders. He divided the boys into 
two groups and placed a leader at the head of each 
group. Star’s eyes sparkled with pride when he 
learned that his group was to be led by Big Eagle. 

Each of the boys in Star’s group had a bright 
red spot painted on one cheek. This was to set 
him apart from the boys of the other group. When 
the young Indians had removed their le gging s and 
moccasins, the War Leader, followed by the group 
leaders, climbed from the kiva. After them came 
the boys. 

How slender, graceful, and proud the boys 
were as they walked across the plaza! They held 
62 



V| 



The Crier Calling the Boys to the Kiva 




















their heads high and looked straight ahead. Not 
one of them smiled, for all felt like true warriors. 
Each boy felt sure that he had the strong heart of 
a man. 

The racecourse was in the street behind the 
plaza. The housetops and the sides of the street 
were lined with people. Everyone who was not 
taking part in the games was there. Singing 
Leaves and White Cloud hoped that Star would 
run faster than any other boy. They told Little 
Bird to watch his brother, for the time would 
come when he, too, must learn to run swiftly like 
his father and his brother. 

The street had been carefully swept. Not one 
tiny pebble lay in the way of the runners’ feet. 
Big Eagle stood at one end of the course. At the 
opposite end stood the other leader. 

After the happy boys had marched the length 
of the course, they turned to face the War Leader, 
who had stopped halfway down the course. He 
offered a prayer to Father Sun, asking for the 
boys’ success. Then half the boys of each group 
marched back to the other goal. 

The Cacique stepped out from among the 
watchers. In his left hand he laid a pinch of 
64 


sacred corn meal, which he blew toward the sun. 
Every Indian stood with reverence as the Cacique 
asked Father Sun to bless the young runners 
that day. 

The War Leader had already taken his place 
halfway between the two goals. He gave his tom¬ 
tom a sharp blow as a signal for the boys to get 
ready. Then he raised his right hand, in which 
he held a twig of sacred juniper. 

Holding a like sprig of juniper, one boy from 
each side stood on the mark. Eagerly they watched 
the War Leader’s hand. The moment he dropped 
it to his side, the two boys leaped forward like 
deer. Down the course they sped. Neither was 
able to gain on the other. They ran as if tied to¬ 
gether, so closely were they matched. 

As they passed the War Leader, he shook his 
branch of juniper at them and shouted words of 
praise. Neither boy took his eyes from the goal 
ahead. Each ran as fast as he could, while the 
crowd called to encourage the runners. 

At the goal another boy from each group 
waited. Each was ready to begin the return run 
the instant that he received the sprig of juniper 
belonging to his^group. As soon as the first pair 

65 






of runners reached the goal, the next pair was off 
like the wind. So the race continued until every 
boy had run. 

Star was the last runner in his group. When 
he received the juniper, the boy with the un¬ 
painted cheek had already started on his way. 
Star ran as fast as he could, but at the halfway 
point he was still behind. Then he saw his father 
at the end of the course. Star wanted his father 
to be proud of him. Putting forth every effort, 
he gained one step, then two steps. He saw White 
Cloud waving to him, and he heard the encourage¬ 
ment of the watchers. At the last moment, he 
gave a great leap and touched the goal first. Big 
Eagle said nothing, but Star knew that his father 
was very proud of his swift young son. 

After the relay race the War Leader beat his 
tom-tom. “Little Antelope (an'te-lop) and Run¬ 
ning Deer, who have seen but five summers, are 
ready to run. They, too, want to prove that they 
have the hearts of men.” 

As the War Leader spoke, the two little boys 
who had come to the kiva stepped proudly up to 
the goal. When the War Leader gave the si gnal 
with his juniper twig, the little warriors were off. 

66 





The Race 








The watchers, large and small, shouted encour¬ 
agement. Puffing out their fat little cheeks, the 
runners gasped for breath. On they ran, neither 
letting the other get ahead. Everyone was pleased 
when Big Eagle decided that both the little boys 
had reached the goal at the same time. 

Not until Father Sun was casting long shad¬ 
ows were the races over. Then the War Leader 
took the tired runners back to the kiva. While 
the boys were dressing, he praised them and told 
them that they had all proved that they had the 
hearts of men. 

Star'was eager to go home. He knew that the 
Koshare Society was meeting later, and he was 
sure that his father would know which boys had 
been invited to join. 

The Pueblo Indians were a very clannish peo¬ 
ple. Every person belonged to a clan, each of 
which had its own work to do. Every child, 
when born, belonged to the mother’s clan. 

One of the oldest and most important societies 
among the Pueblo Indians was the Koshare, the 
society of the sacred clowns and Delight Makers. 
It began when the Twin Warriors led the Long- 
Ago People from the Land of Darkness. Besides 
68 




making people happy, this society had charge of 
the rivers and streams. 

Big Eagle had long been a member of the Ko- 
share Society. Star thought that it was noble 
to make people happy. So he wanted to be asked 
to join his father’s society. 

Not until the family had finished eating did 
Big Eagle say, “Today you proved that you have 
a brave heart. My son, the Koshare Society has 
asked you to join it.” 

Star was so happy that he could not speak. 
At last he could dance with his father. Suddenly 
the beat of the tom-tom came to his ears. He 
heard the crier calling the Koshare members to 
the meeting. 

Silently Big Eagle took Star into the kiva. 
One by one the other boys who had been invited 
to join came down the ladder. When they were 
all there, the head of the society made a prayer to 
the gods. 

Then, turning to the boys, he said, “You must 
always be ready to help the Koshare Society. You 
must be strong and brave and good. You must 
always make people happy.” 

The leader then painted with bright colors 

69 



Herding the Burros 









the crown, the chest, the palms, and the soles of 
each boy. Then a medicine woman, carrying a 
bowl of ashes, came forward. Dipping his fingers 
into the ashes, the leader touched the colored 
spots on the bodies of the boys. 

Laying aside her bowl, the old woman crushed 
strips of cornhusks and tied them to the temple 
hair of each new member. 

Then the leader said, “You must wear the 
p ain t and the cornhusks until you are told to take 
them off. Now that you belong to the Koshare 
Society, you must always be ready to do as you 
are told.” The boys listened eagerly while the 
leader spoke. 

As soon as the ceremony was over. Star hur¬ 
ried home. He wanted to show Singing Leaves 
and White Cloud his paint and cornhusks. The 
family praised him highly. Now that he was a 
Koshare like his father, he was a very proud and 
happy boy. 


71 



HERDING THE BURROS 


The Rain Moon, as the Pueblo Indians called 
July, was over. At this village it had been a happy 
moon. Since. the Rain Makers had come to 
Mother Earth, the Plant People had grown thick 
and strong. There was now plenty of grass for 
the horses and burros. 

The little boys in the pueblo took turns herd¬ 
ing the village burros. These lazy little animals 
were always gentle and were usually easy to han¬ 
dle. One morning Star and three of his young 
friends were driving the herd of village burros to 
their feeding grounds across the river, where the 
thick grama grass grew. The boys did not try 
to hurry the little beasts, which never wanted to 
go fast. 

Part of the time the boys rode the burros. At 
other times the herders jumped down and walked. 
The young Indians always looked for the hi ding 
places of the small Animal People along the way. 
Once Star tried to catch a lizard sunning itself on 
a large rock. But the little creature was too swift 


72 



for him. It slipped under the rock so fast that he 
could not get it. 

A little later a young cottontail rabbit ran 
across the trail and hid under a clump of sage¬ 
brush. The sharp eyes of the young herders soon 
caught sight of the cotton which rabbits carry 
for a tail. The little white spot stood out clearly 
against the green sagebrush. While his friends 
watched, Star crawled very quietly toward the 
little animal. He thought his rabbit friend was 
fast asleep. If Star could catch it, he would have 
a new pet. But the cottontail was not dreaming. 
When Star came too near, the rabbit made a sud¬ 
den leap. Kicking the soft sand from under its 
slender hind legs, it quickly ran into its hole. 
The three other boys laughed at Star when the 
rabbit ran away. 

Meanwhile, the village burros had strayed from 
the trail and were waiting under the small pinon 
trees. They liked to stop and sleep in the shade 
whenever they could. But when they knew they 
had to go on, they did not object. As soon as the 
boys came, the little herd started down the trail. 

At last the boys reached the feeding grounds. 
They jumped from the backs of their burros. 

73 


Glad to be rid of their burdens, these lazy little 
fellows joined the herd which was eating the fresh 
green grass. 

While the burros grazed, the boys played the 
touch game. AU young Indians like to play this 
lively game, which the white children call tag. 
When the boys grew tired of the game, they 
played hide-and-go-seek. The thick clumps of 
sagebrush and the big rocks that lay all about 
made good hiding places. 

While the boys played, they kept watching the 
grazing burros so that they would not wander up 
the deep canyons. These rough, rocky places, 
cut out by the Rain People, the Wind People, and 
the Sand People, were everywhere about the feed¬ 
ing grounds. Finally the burros had eaten enough. 
They wandered slowly about until they found a 
cool, shady spot; and there they stopped. Stand¬ 
ing with their eyes closed, they seemed to be 
asleep. Except when they switched their tails or 
wiggled their long ears, they seldom moved. 

The young herders knew that the lazy little, 
animals would stay quiet for a long time. So Starl 
said to the other boys, “Let us play the stone 
game for a while.” 


74 


He was sure that his friends liked to play this 
game. Each boy found six small pebbles. He 
was careful to pick up only round stones. Such 
stones were not hard to find, for the sharp sand 
had worn most of the stones round and smooth 
as the wind had blown them across the country. 
After each boy had found his stones, Star dug a 
small hole in the ground. A short distance from 
the hole the four friends lay flat on their stom¬ 
achs. Taking turns, the Indians threw the peb¬ 
bles toward the hole. The boy who put the most 
pebbles into the hole won the game. 

After playing several stone games, the boys 
became tired. The sun was hot, and they were 
warm from the games they had played. They 
lay down to rest in the shade of a scrubby pine 
tree. At first they talked; but soon, one after 
another, the boys feU fast asleep. 

When Star came back from the land of dreams, 
he saw that the herd of burros was gone. Even 
his own faithful little animal was nowhere to be 
seen. Star always left a long rope trailing from 
his burro’s neck. Now he wished' that he had tied 
the rope to a tree before he fell asleep. 

Quickly he awakened the other boys. They 

75 


jumped up at once; they were no longer tired. | 
Hurriedly they looked about for tracks. That i 
was the only way they could tell which way the i 
animals had gone. The herders believed they • 
knew where to look for the lost herd. The burros ' 
had been feeding at the mouth of a deep canyon 
which led high into the mountains. Several times 
the curious burros had tried to enter the deep, 
narrow pass, but the boys had always turned them ® 
back. 

While the boys had slept, the wise little don- i 
keys had known that they were not being watched, i 
One of the boldest of the animals had made 
straight for the forbidden canyon. Burros like : 
to stay together; and when one starts off, the ; 
others usually follow. So all the rest of the i 
pueblo burros had followed the lead of the first , 
one. Last of all had gone Star’s pet, with the long 
rope trailing behind him. 

When the little Indians looked, they found I 
many burro tracks leading into the canyon. At i 
first the boys were half afraid to go into the ! 
gloomy mountain pass. But Father Sun was ; 
already throwing shadows toward the east. And J 
the herders knew that they must take the animals i 
76 



safely back to the pueblo. Bravely Star followed 
the tracks his burro had left. Then the other 
boys followed. Slowly they entered the deep, 
silent canyon. They kept close together and made 
as little noise as possible. Eagerly they looked 
for the burros and hoped that they had not gone 
far up the canyon. 

The trailing rope had kept Star’s burro from 
going as fast as the other burros. Finally, the 
tracks showed that the little animal had lost the 
trail of the herd and had turned off into a side 
canyon. When the trailers reached the place 
where his burro had left the herd. Star knew that 
he would have to leave the other boys. He did 
not want to go on alone, but he knew that he 
must find his burro. The tracks led him up a 
steep hillside covered with pinons and quaking 
aspens. The pine branches cut Star with their 
pointed fingers and made him jump. He kept a 
close watch on all sides and wondered whether 
any of the big Wilderness People were around. 
He almost held his breath as he walked softly up 
the hill. 

When Star suddenly saw the long, wiggly ears 
of his little pet among the trees, he was pleased. 

77 


He crept carefully toward the animal. He was 
afraid that the burro might run if it heard him 
coming. At last he grabbed the end of the trail¬ 
ing rope. Using the rope to pull himself over 
the rough ground, he ran up to the burro as fast 
as he could. He jumped on the little wanderer’s 
back and made the lazy fellow run back down the 
side canyon. He dug his heels into the burro’s 
sides to make him go faster. He tried to make 
himself believe that he was punishing his burro 
for having run away. He would not say, even to 
himself, that he was afraid and wanted to hurry 
out of the canyon as fast as he could. 

The other boys had a harder task than Star. 
As they went farther up the canyon, it became 
very narrow. Only a small patch of blue sky 
could be seen far overhead. The thick trees 
which grew along the sides shut out the sunhght 
and made the canyon quite dusky. The boys 
wished many times that they had brought along 
some of the sacred corn meal. They would have 
felt safer if they had made a prayer before enter¬ 
ing the gloomy canyon. 

Suddenly they came to a sharp bend in the 
trail. Here the canyon widened into a grassy 

78 


opening, bright with sunlight. From a spring in 
the mountainside bubbled clear, cool water. To 
their joy, the boys saw the village herd drinking 
from the pool below the spring. 

As soon as he could, each boy jumped upon 
the back of his own burro and helped to round 
up the rest. The young Indians were eager to 
go, for around the spring they saw the tracks that 
the Wilderness People had left when they had 
come to drink. 

Suddenly the boys heard a loud scream. They 
knew that it was the call of the puma (pu'ma), the 
mighty hunter. Although the cry came from far 
up the mountain, the boys wanted to get out of 
the canyon as soon as possible. They shouted 
loudly and made the burros run. They hoped 
that the noise would frighten the Wilderness Peo¬ 
ple and make them hide. 

When they reached the mouth of the canyon, 
they foimd Star waiting there for them. Already 
Father Sun was close to the tops of the western 
mountains. Although the boys were tired, they 
did not stop to rest. The young Indians were still 
think ing of the mighty puma, somewhere behind 
them in the mountains. The boys hoped that 


79 


they were not being followed. On the way home 
they did not let the burros feed or rest. 

When they reached the village corral, Father 
Sun was saying good night to the pueblo. The 
boys were happy when they were safe inside the 
plaza. For a long time they told no one else of, 
their trip into the canyon. They did not want 
anyone to know how careless they had been. But 
they told one another that the next time they 
herded the animals they would be sure to watch 
the burros more carefully. 


8o 



THE BRIDGE OF THE KOSHARES 


The Indians knew that Father Sun was fight¬ 
ing a great battle. Although the summer moons 
had come, the Yellow Rain Maker of the North 
was still trying to stay on the mountaintops. 
There, during the winter moons, he had piled 
up great heaps of snow and ice. Now he did not 
want to go back to his home in the cold North. 

It was time for the Blue Rain Maker and the 
Red Rain Maker to live in the mountains as well 
as in the valleys. Father Sun wanted to help his 
friends; so he sent his hottest rays against the cold 
Spirit of the North. As the hot sunbeams played 
about him on the mountaintop, the Yellow Rain 
Maker became tired. Little by little his deep 
layers of snow and ice began to melt. At last the 
fierce Yellow Spirit fled farther north, and the 
Blue Rain Maker came to live in the mountains. 
Then the Indians were sure that Father Sun had 
won the battle. 

One morning as the men and boys went to 
their work outside the pueblo, they noticed that 
8i 


the river was rising. The melting snow and ice 
that the Yellow Rain Maker had left behind sent 
a rush of water down into the valley. At the same 
time the Cloud People opened their doors, and 
the Rain Makers made a long visit to the pueblo. 

The river grew deeper and deeper. It touched 
Mother Earth high up on the banks. The water 
spirits were angry as they rushed along, rolling, 
twisting, and tumbling over one another. Before 
night the angry water spirits, sent by the Yellow 
Rain Maker, had carried away the footbridge that 
led from the pueblo to the other side of the river. 
Many of the Indians needed a bridge; so the coun- 
cilmen were called to the kiva to plan a new one. 

Early the next morning as Star was on his way 
to the corral, he saw a strange head rising from 
the river. The big head wore a huge mask that 
looked like a human face. But the large nose and 
the great bush of shaggy hair made Star know 
that it was a messenger of the good water spirits. 
He knew that it was not a real spirit but a crier 
from the Koshare Society, which was in charge i 
of the rivers and bridges. Star was not surprised,^ 
for he also belonged to the Koshare Society. But 
he was sad when he remembered that it was his 
82 




The Water Spirit 


a? 




I 













turn to herd the burros. Now he would miss the 
fun in the pueblo. 

Star followed the make-believe Water Spirit 
toward the village. As he ran back and forth ’ 
through the plaza, the crier shouted, “The angry^; 
Yellow Rain Maker from the mountaintops has i 
washed away our bridge. We must rebuild it. : 
Come, all you men. Come down to the river.” j 

Star knew that the Water Spirit would lead I 
the men while they built the new bridge. Since i 
it was the duty of the Koshare Society to make' 
everyone happy. Star also knew that the Indians' I 
would make a picnic of the work. There would i 
be fun for all. He did not want to drive the bur- ' 
ros to the feeding grounds. 

Calling to his father, who was standing in the 
plaza, he said, “May I not go to the river with you 
today? I can herd the burros some other day.” 

Big Eagle looked at his unhappy son. “No, 
my son,” he said. “Everyone would like to go' < 
to the river. The other boys who must go with' I 
you would like to stay at home, too. But you* 
must always be ready to do your duty. It is your 
turn to herd the burros; so you must go.” 

Star went slowly back to the corral. There 
84 






three of his young friends were waiting for him. 
None of them wanted to herd the burros that 
day, but each knew that he must do his share of 
the work of the pueblo. 

As they were leaving the village on their little 
mounts, the sad boys forgot their troubles for a 
moment. They saw one of the sacred clowns of 
the Koshare Society pull a lazy man from his 
house. Then the poor herders remembered their 
work, and their feet and hearts grew heavy again. 
They almost had to drag themselves away from 
the pueblo and the funmaking which they knew 
would take place. 

When Star looked back over his shoulder, he 
saw the sacred clowns as they pretended to herd 
the men who were going down to the river to 
build the bridge. The Delight Makers were driv¬ 
ing the happy workers ahead of them as though 
they were burros. When a young man pretended 
to run away, one of the clowns would catch him 
and bring him back to the herd. 

Star watched until the group of funmakers 
reached the river to begin its work and play. 
Then he kicked his heels into the sides of his 
little burro and caught up with the other boys. 

85 


He wished that the building of the bridge could 
be put off imtil he could help. But the work 
could not wait for him. Until the bridge was in 
place, there was no way for people on foot to 
cross the river. 

The Pueblo Indians had their own way of 
building a bridge. After the men had gathered 
many straight cottonwood limbs, both large and 
small, they carried the wood to the bank of the 
river. There the smaller limbs were laid together 
in several groups of three. Then the limbs in 
each group were tied together a foot from one 
end with ropes of yucca (yuk'a) fibers. 

After the cottonwood limbs had been neatly 
bundled, the men removed their leggings and 
moccasins. When the Water Spirit gave the com¬ 
mand, the workers picked up the bundles and 
waded into the rushing water. 

The angry river pushed and tugged at the legs 
of the Indians. The fierce water caught many of 
the brave warriors in its strong grip. It turned 
and tumbled them about until they could catch 
hold of something to help them to their feet again. 
The women and children on the bank laughed 
as the sacred clowns pointed out the workers 
86 



who were knocked down by the swift current as 
they tried to force their way. 

At last three strong men, working together, 
picked up one bundle of limbs and waded slowly 
into the river. They stopped about fifteen feet 
from the shore. While the current pushed at 
their waists, they carefully spread the limbs apart 
and pushed the three loose ends deep into the 
soft mud and sand of the river bottom. With 
the ends so separated, the tops, tied tightly with 
the yucca fibers, formed a fork above the water. 

In the same manner, other groups of Indians 
anchored the remaining cottonwood bundles in 
line with the first one and about fifteen feet apart. 
When all the groups had driven their poles into 
the river bottom, the forked tops stuck up about 
the same height above the river. Then big logs 
were laid from fork to fork and were tied fast. 
When all the logs were in place, they would make 
a strong, wooden trail from one bank to the other. 

When the big fish, swimming upstream, came 
to the muddy water, they stuck out their heads 
and, with their gills wide open, tried to get air. 
To make the women and children laugh, the 
clowns pretended to be very much frightened. 

87 



They struck at the gasping fish as though trying: 
to drive them away. 

When the sun stood straight overhead, the:; 
clowns stopped making fun. The Water Spirit 
gave the command, and the men slowly waded 
out from the water to sit and rest in the warm; 
sunshine. The children hurried to bring wood-: 
so that the women could prepare the midday 
meal. The Indians did not go back to the pueblo; 
they were going to have a picnic meal near the 
river. After building a good fire, the women put 
strips of meat on long sticks and held them over 
the fire to roast. The women had also brought 
plenty of bread with them in their baskets. When 
the men were rested, everyone—men, women, and 
children—ate bread and roasted meat. While 
they were eating, they had much fun talking and. 
laughing. I| 

After the men had eaten, the Water Spirit i 
called them back to the river. The work was' 
hard, and soon all were very tired. The sacred 
clowns were finding it hard to make the tired 
workers laugh. When the funmakers could think 
of nothing else to do, they had a water fight. 
They splashed water on one another and rolled 
88 



on the bank until they were covered with mud. 
No matter how tired these Delight Makers were, 
they could not stop, for it was their duty to make 
the workers enjoy themselves. 

Slowly but steadily the work went on. At 
last the new footbridge stretched from bank to 
bank. When the last log was tied in place, the 
Water Spirit climbed from the chilly water. He 
pretended to be frightened by the long shadows 
which Father Sun was throwing behind him. He 
called to everybody to hurry from the water. The 
weary men did not need a second bidding. 

Wading as fast as they could against the cur¬ 
rent, the men climbed the slippery bank. Once 
on shore, they sat in the rays of the late afternoon 
sun to dry before they put on their leggings and 
moccasins. But the tired Indians did not wait 
long, for they were eager to go to their homes, 
where they could rest until the evening meal was 
ready. 

When Star and his three friends brought the 
burros in from the feeding grounds, everyone had 
left the riverbank. Putting their well-fed little 
beasts into the corral, the boys hurried home to 
hear what had happened at the pueblo. 

89 



The Bridge of the Koshares 





After the evening meal was over. Star and 
White Cloud talked about the new bridge which 
stood in the moonlight. White Cloud told her 
brother exactly how the bridge had been built. 
They both laughed at the jokes of the sacred 
clowns who had made the hard work so much 
easier. Star hoped that he could sometime take 
the part of the make-believe Water Spirit of the 
Koshare Society. 

When he crawled into his soft bed of skins that 
night. Star took his bow and arrow with him. He 
knew that the next day his father was going to 
take the family with him on a long hunting trip 
into the wilderness. And Star wanted to be ready 
to meet the Wilderness People. He could hardly 
sleep as he thought of the many things he would 
see and hear in the land beyond the buttes (buts). 


91 



THE WILDERNESS TRAIL 


Morning Star was in the eastern sky when Big 
Eagle called his son the next morning. In his 
hand Star held his new willow arrows and his 
strong bow. By the flickering light from the 
fireplace, he watched White Cloud and his mother 
prepare the early morning meal. 

As soon as it was ready, the family sat on 
the floor in front of the fire to eat. Star willingly 
ate all the boiled corn meal which his mother 
gave him. He knew that his father would not 
stop to make camp until he had found a good 
place to feed and water the animals. 

After he had eaten. Star ran off to the corral 
for the horse and the burros. Singing Leaves 
and White Cloud packed bread and meat for the 
journey. When Star brought the sleepy animals 
to the plaza. Singing Leaves, with Little Bird on 
her back, seated herself on a burro. Big Eagle 
mounted his faithful horse, and White Cloud and 
Star climbed upon their little burros. It was 
Star’s duty to herd the three pack burros carrying 

92 


the things that the family would need on the 
journey. 

As the group rode to the pueblo gate, most 
of the other Indians of the village were gathered 
there. Many had gifts of dried meat, squash, 
and bread for the travelers. The bid Medicine 
Man brought Little Bird a beautiful new robe 
made from the yellow skin of a mountain lion. 
The skin was given to keep Little Bird warm on 
his first hunting trip. As everybody said good- 
by, the family, after thanking the friendly givers, 
rode slowly through the gate toward the river ford. 

When the burros and the horse had waded 
safely through the rushing water. Big Eagle led 
the party straight across the sandy plain toward 
one of the deep canyons ahead. Star asked his 
father why he had picked this trail. He told 
Star that not far from the head of the canyon 
toward which they were headed was a clear, flow¬ 
ing spring, which was always ready to give a 
drink to man or beast. 

As the little family left the grasslands and 
started into the canyon, the trail became rough. 
At times it seemed to Star and White Cloud that 
i the steep sides of the canyon reached long, rocky 

93 



arms which touched the patch of beautiful blue 
sky far above. There the sun was shining brightly; 
but below, the Indians were riding in dark and 
gloom. 

They had not gone far when Big Eagle stopped 
and dismounted. Leading Star from the trail, he 
showed him a game trap, placed where several 
wild-animal trails crossed one another. Big Eagle 
told his son that game driven from the top of the 
mesa or through the deep canyons could not help 
falling into the trap. 

The trap was a bottle-shaped hole about twelve 
feet deep, cut into the solid rock. The opening 
at the top, through which the animals fell, was 
narrower than the bottom of the hole. Star 
examined the hole carefully, for he had never 
before seen this kind of trap. His father pointed 
out several more as the family rode on up the 
canyon. 

When they came to the end of the trail and 
rode out of the canyon into the sunshine, the 
two children shouted for joy. Now they were 
on top of a high mesa and could see far, far into 
the distance. Far out on the plains Star and 
White Cloud could see cloud shadows dancing 

94 


and playing on the ground. Farther away the 
children saw a heavy shower of rain. Star said 
he thought that the Cloud People were visi ting 
another pueblo that had prayed for rain. But 
White Cloud thought that the Rain Makers had 
come out of their cloud homes only to play with 
Mother Earth. 

The children had to hurry their burros to 
catch up with Big Eagle, who was now leading 
the way into a narrow, sandy arroyo (a-roi'o). 
This was an old, dry river bed. Although it was 
not deep, its steep, rocky sides made the children 
feel that they were shut in. They were glad 
when their burros followed the leader up the steep 
bank and into the open once more. 

When the sun threw the shadows directly un¬ 
derneath the burros, the children knew it was 
midday. Star and White Cloud whispered to 
each other. They hoped that the family would 
soon stop to eat. They did not let anyone else 
hear them. Only a baby, like Little Bird, would 
cry or ask for something to eat. But both chil¬ 
dren were pleased when Big Eagle jumped from 
his horse and said that the group would stop there. 

Now the children were glad that they had 

95 


ridden through the dark canyon and the narrow 
arroyo. For there, in the shifting light and shade 
and almost hidden under the trees, was the beau¬ 
tiful spring from which flowed clear, cold, spar¬ 
kling water. 

Star quickly tied the front feet of the animals 
together so that they could not stray away as they 
grazed. Big Eagle gathered some wood and built 
a campfire on a rock. Before long. White Cloud 
and Singing Leaves had the midday meal ready. 

After the Indians had eaten, they rested awhile. 
In a short time they were ready for the steep 
climb up the rugged mountain trail that lay ahead 
of them. Before they started, all in the family 
group took a deep drink, for they knew they 
might not find such good water again for some 
time. Even the animals drank longer than usual, 
as though they liked the fresh spring water. 

Big Eagle slowly led the way up the steep 
trail. He knew the way was hard, and he did 
not want the animals to become tired too soon. 
When the Indians reached the top of the moun¬ 
tain trail, they rode into a wonderful forest of 
tall old pines. The ground was solidly covered 
with a soft carpet of pine needles. So thick was 
96 


the carpet that the muffled hoofbeats of the horse 
and the burros did not frighten the timid Animal 
People, who made this wilderness their home. 

The squirrels in the trees chattered and scolded. 
Perhaps they were asking one another who dared 
to enter their woodland home. The woodpeckers 
tapped the trees in eager haste to get their food. 
They might have been afraid that these strange 
visitors would reach it first. Star and White 
Cloud heard the trees whisper softly to the wind 
as it passed through their branches. What were 
they saying? The children did not know. Per¬ 
haps the Tree People were talking to Mother 
Earth. She sent them the water that they needed 
for their heavy roots and trunks. So tall were 
the trees that the children wondered whether the 
treetops knew that there were Man People under 
them. 

Star and White Cloud were sorry to reach the 
end of the cool trail through the thick pine forest. 
When they came out, they were pleased to see a 
great green valley stretching far out below them. 
Big Eagle told the children that they were on 
top of a big butte. As they started down the 
steep, rocky trail. Star saw the late sunshine play- 

97 



ing the touch game with a little stream which 
flowed over the rocks and beneath the trees. 

When they reached the bottom of the trail on 
the edge of the wide, green valley. Big Eagle 
said, “This is the favorite hunting ground of our 
people. It was the hunting ground of the Long- 
Ago People, too. If you watch closely, you will 
see many Wilderness People. We shall stay here 
to find skins for moccasins and clothing. We 
shall hunt deer.” 

Star knew that the summer deerskin was best 
for making clothes. During the warm moons 
the hair was thinner than it was during the cold 
moons and did not grow through the skin. He 
knew that was why the summer hair was easier 
to scrape off than the heavy winter hair. 

While he helped make camp. Star looked 
eagerly around him. His father had camped 
beside the stream that had been playing the 
touch game with the sun. At their feet the 
little stream made a sharp bend as it entered a 
deep canyon and rushed madly down the valley. 
In the distance dense rows of mighty pines swept 
the sky. Among the green branches of the pines 
Star’s sharp eyes saw the white trunks and the 
98 


1 


I 

(■ 


I 



I 




t 


t 


I 

1 

* 


t 


I 




■ ( 


The First Camp 


I 

y 


I 


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light-colored leaves of the quaking aspen trees. 
In every direction from the camp were thick for¬ 
ests and rocky hills. 

After Star helped unpack the animals, he led 
them down to the stream for water. While the 
boy was watching them drink. Big Eagle started 
a quick fire, and Singing Leaves prepared the 
food. White Cloud took a pottery jar to a spring 
which her father had pointed out to her. There 
she filled it with crystal-clear water. Soon the 
little family from the pueblo ate its peaceful eve¬ 
ning meal. 

After White Cloud helped her mother make 
the beds with soft robes, all in the family were 
ready to sleep. Off in the distance, from the 
rim of the valley. Star heard a sharp yelping and 
barking. It was a coyote (kl'ot), objecting to the 
camp. The voice rolled across the valley and 
came echoing back. As the boy listened to the 
barking and howling, he believed that the animal 
had many of his brothers with him. Star tried 
very hard not to be afraid. He could not sleep, 
but rolled about on his bed. 

" Big Eagle heard the boy moving and said, 
“Go to sleep, my son. There is only one coyote. 


too 


He will not hurt you. He is only telling his own 
people that an enemy has arrived.” 

Although he was no longer afraid, Star lay 
wide awake, listening to the many voices of the 
Wilderness People. He did not know what some 
of the strange noises meant. He tried to stay 
awake so that he could hear more of them. But 
at last, tired from his hard travel, he slowly 
drifted into a deep, restful sleep. 


lOI 



THE LAND OF THE LONG-AGO PEOPLE 

Father Sun was already laughing at Star and 
White Cloud when their mother awakened them. 
They jumped eagerly to their feet, for Big Eagle 
told them that they were all going to swim in a 
wonderful warm spring. 

The father led his family to the big spring, 
which bubbled from a bowl-shaped hole in Mother 
Earth. The children had never seen such a thing 
before. They were surprised when they waded 
into the pool and found how warm the water was. 

“What makes the water warm?” asked Star as 
he swam about like a fish, enjoying himself in the 
sparkling pool. 

“It is one of the mysteries of the Underneath 
People,” his father answered him. “Perhaps Tall 
Oak will tell you why the water is warm. It has 
been this way ever since our people first came 
to this valley.” 

Star and White Cloud were delighted. They 
did not want to leave their warm bath. But 
they followed their mother when she carried Little 


102 


Bird back to camp. Their swim had made them 
so hungry that they were glad to eat. 

After he had eaten, Star brought animals for 
all to ride. When the family mounted, Big Eagle 
led the way into a near-by canyon. 

On the way he said, “We shall see many other 
strange things when we visit the homes of the 
Long-Ago People. First we shall go into the 
land of pointed rocks and boiling water.” 

The little family soon reached the canyon 
where stood many tall, tent-shaped rocks. On 
the tops of some of them rested great boulders, 
which Star thought might fall at any moment. 
But Big Eagle told him that the tent rocks had 
been the resting places of these boulders for 
many, many summers. 

Then Big Eagle showed his family the caves 
cut into the walls of the rocky canyon. He told 
the wondering children that most of the caves 
had been made by Red People long before any¬ 
one living could remember. Other caves had 
been cut by the Wind and the Water People. In 
most of the caves the Long-Ago People had lived 
at one time. 

Star and White Cloud stayed behind their 
103 


father. They thought they were entering a Spirit 
Land. They were almost afraid, for they be¬ 
lieved that the great white rocks might be the 
homes of giants. Below they could hear the roar 
of water as it fought with the great boulders 
standing in its way. But the mighty warrior j 
rocks stood firm against the force of the water 
spirits. Star heard the water spirits scolding 
loudly as they hurried ahead to disappear into 
the unknown. 

In a near-by canyon the children saw steam 
and hot water rushing from the heart of a moun¬ 
tain that was not strong enough to hold the water 
back. When Star saw the steam, he told White 
Cloud that the Underneath People must have a 
big fire burning down in Mother Earth. 

“This is the canyon of boiling water,” Big j 
Eagle told the wondering children. 

As the family stood watching this mystery. 
Big Eagle made a prayer. Then he led the group 
back to their camp beside the cool stream. Even 
Star and White Cloud did not talk on the way; 
they had seen one of the wonders of the Under¬ 
neath People. 

While he was eating his midday meal. Big 
104 





Eagle pointed to a cliff not far off. “There are 
more homes of our Long-Ago People,” he said. 
“When we have eaten, we shall visit them. Then 
tomorrow, my son, you and I must hunt for the 
skins that your mother needs.” 

Soon Star brought in four of the rested burros. 
The other animals he hobbled and left to feed. 
The family mounted the sturdy little burros and 
started up the steep trail. When they reached 
the rocky cliffs that protected the ancient homes, 
they left the animals to feed and rest. 

As he climbed the steep trail. Star was glad 
that he had not lived in that Long-Ago time. 
He would not have liked carrying water to these 
homes in the cliffs. When the Indians had almost 
reached their goal. Big Eagle stopped. Star saw 
him blow some of the sacred corn meal from the 
palm of his left hand. The family knew that 
Big Eagle was offering a silent prayer to the 
Long-Ago People who had dug their homes in 
these rocks. All about him Star felt the silence 
and solitude of these deserted cave dwellings. 
He knew that now they held only the secrets of 
the Long-Ago past. 

Following his father. Star climbed the rough 
105 



The Home of the Long-Ago People 









steps cut into the solid rock, that led to one of 
the cliff dwellings. There were no doors, for the 
caves stood always open. 

Without speaking, the family reverently en¬ 
tered the old cave house. The walls of the living 
quarters had been carefully plastered many, many 
times with the same kind of white clay that Singing 
Leaves used in her adobe home in the valley. 
Over the large fireplace Star found traces of 
smoke. White Cloud pointed out little niches, 
cut in the sohd walls, which had at one time 
probably held trinkets and sacred corn meal. 

Farther back, in the unfinished, rocky part of 
the cave, pictures of men and beasts had been 
cut by some artist of the past. But the only 
remains of these Long-Ago People that the chil¬ 
dren could find were some broken pieces of pot¬ 
tery and a few arrowheads. These the children 
carefully saved to show to their friends at the 
pueblo. 

“Did the Wind and the Water People help 
build these caves, too?” Star asked his father. 

“No,” Big Eagle told his family. “These 
were slowly dug out with stone knives and sharp¬ 
ened sticks, the only tools that the Long-Ago 
107 





came before 


People had. Many, many snows 
the caves were finished.” 

“Why did the Long-Ago People leave their 
cliff homes?” White Cloud wanted to know. 

“Yes,” put in Star, “a warrior could easily 
keep watch over the valley here just as the war-J 
riors did at the homes on the mesa. He could 
always see his enemies when they came. 

Big Eagle looked very thoughtful. “Perhaps 
these people needed water closer to their homes, 
as the people on the mesa did. Nobody knows 
Even Tall Oak can tell you little about these 
Long-Ago People, my children.” 

Leaving the ancient homes in the silent glow' 
of the late sun, the little family started back to 
camp. Star and White Cloud knew that they 
would never forget the cliff homes of the Long 
Ago People. The children hoped that Tall Oak' 
could tell them more when they were back in' 
the pueblo. 

When the Indians again reached camp. Star' 
and his father went to the crystal stream to fish.^ 
Singing Leaves spread Little Bird’s new puma 
skin blanket on the ground in the sunshine. She 
gave the baby some bread, and placed him on the' 
io8 




skin. Then the mother and White Cloud built 
a fire and began the evening meal. 

When they saw that the baby was alone, the 
bold little chipmunks came from their rocky 
homes. They crept close to him, for they wanted 
the bread that he held in his little fist. Overhead 
the black-and-white magpies scolded Little Bird. 
They seemed to say that this valley was their 
home and that nobody else had a right to come 
here. Flying near the stranger, they tried to 
take his bread before the chipmunks got it. But 
brave Little Bird found a stick. Seizing it, he 
waved it about trying to frighten the magpies 
away. He worked so hard shaking his stick at 
the birds that he forgot about his bread, which 
he had dropped on the robe behind him. Sud¬ 
denly a bold magpie, quickly flying down, picked 
up the bread and flew away with it. In vain did 
Little Bird shake his stick after the magpie. The 
baby wanted his bread; so he cried loudly. 

Star and Big Eagle, coming back to camp, 
heard the baby’s cries and ran to see what had 
happened. The magpies flew high into the trees, 
and the chipmunks ran to their homes in the 
rocks. Star picked up his little brother and car- 
109 




The Magpies Taking Little Bird's Bread 


ried him to the campfire. He knew that his 
mother would soon have a good meal for the 
hungry baby. 

While the family was eating beside the fire. 
Star’s sharp eyes saw a gray shadow steal silently 
through the forest in the dusky evening light. 

“What is that?” Star asked, pointing the animal 
out to his father. 

“That is a wolf, my son. He is only one of 
the many Wilderness People,” said Big Eagle. 

“Will the Wilderness People not come into 
our camp and steal our food while we sleep?” 
Star continued. 

“No, not while a fire is burning,” Big Eagle 
answered. “You must help me gather much wood 
so that we can keep a fire near the camp all night.” 

Soon everyone but Star went to sleep beside 
the bright fire. He was thinking of the empty 
cliff homes, open to the bright moonbeams. He 
looked far across the valley. It seemed to him 
that he could see on the mountainside the shadowy 
forms of spirits dancing in the moonlight. 

Suddenly the quiet was broken by a loud wail. 
Star moved closer to his father. The sound came 
again, louder and longer. 


Ill 


“Did you hear that?” asked Star as his father : 
awakened to place more wood on the fire. “I 
think that the cry came from the homes of the 
Long-Ago People above us.” 

“No,” Big Eagle quieted his son. “It is only 
the call of the puma. We may meet him on our 
hunting trip tomorrow. He is the War Chief of 
the Animal People. Although he is a mighty] 
hunter, he will not come near us tonight. He is« 
afraid of people. Sleep, my son. You must be 
well rested for the hunt in the morning.” j 

|i 


II2 





THE WILDERNESS PEOPLE 


Early the next morning, Star and Big Eagle 
hobbled their animals while White Cloud and 
Singing Leaves prepared the meal. The hunters 
did not want to take the noisy burros because 
the wild Animal People have sharp ears. 

On their way back to camp, the father and 
his son jumped into the warm spring for a swim. 
They could not swim long, for the time they 
could spend in the wilderness was growing short. 
Soon Big Eagle and Star must go back to the 
pueblo to do their share of the work in the fields. 

As soon as they had eaten. Star and his father 
started out to hunt deer. Armed only with their 
bows and arrows, they entered a canyon near 
their camp and climbed up the steep, rocky side. 
Big Eagle was careful of every step. But, in 
following his father. Star kicked a loose stone. 
As it rolled down the side of the canyon. Star 
thought the stone would never stop. What a 
noise it made! He knew that the noisy stone 
was warning all the Wilderness People. 

H3 



Big Eagle stopped and raised his hand. Star 
stopped, too. He knew that the wild Animal 
People would also stop to listen. Then they 
would look around to see what had moved. If 
they saw nothing, they would sniff the air. Star 
knew now why his father had been careful to 
climb against the wind. He had not wanted the 
scent of the hunters to be carried to the keen 
noses of the Wilderness People. 

The hunters waited until the stone no longer 
echoed below them, for they wanted the Animal 
People to forget about the noise. Then the In¬ 
dians crept on up the mountainside. As he kept 
close to his father. Star was now more careful 
how he stepped. Suddenly Big Eagle waved his 
hand downward and sank to the grovmd. In¬ 
stantly Star obeyed the signal. 

For a moment all was quiet. Tli^^ Star heard 
a faint crack farther up the side of the canyon. 
Some animals were coming down the mountain. 
They were coming so quietly that he would never 
have heard them had he not been warned by 
his father that a herd of deer was coming. 

As he waited. Star saw his companion raise 
the strong bow. Then the boy heard the famihar 

114 


twang of the bowstring. Quickly Big Eagle drew 
back another feathered arrow and let it go. As 
his father seldom missed. Star was sure that there 
would be meat and skins to carry back to camp. 
He hoped that the deer would not run far. 

The two hunters dashed after the fleeing deer. 
There was no need for quiet now. The frightened 
animals jumped wildly over the fallen trees. Their 
beating hoofs and the clatter of the stones which 
were dislodged echoed loudly through the deep 
canyon. Quickly Star followed his father to the 
two fallen deer, which lay close together. 

As the hunters stood there. Big Eagle took 
Star by the arm and pointed to a distant ledge. 
Star saw a big, tawny-colored puma lashing her 
tail. Her small, round ears were ajert. She was 
watching the frightened deer running below her. 
As the huhfers watched, she leaped to a lower 
ledge to follow the hurrying deer. He felt sorry 
for them because he knew that the puma never 
gave up a chase. 

“Do you want a puma kitten?” Big Eagle 
asked his son. 

Star nodded, his eyes shining. He wondered 
where his father would get it. 

115 


“The deer are a swift, timid people. They 
will lead the hungry puma far away. Her den 
must be on the ledge where we first saw her. 
Perhaps we can find her kittens.” 

Star was afraid that the mighty hunter would 
return before they reached the rocks in which 
she made her home. But he said nothing. He 
did not want his father to know that he was 
afraid. Together they leaped over the deep cracks 
until they found the den. 

While Big Eagle crawled into the narrow open¬ 
ing, Star stood on guard outside. He hoped 
that the deer were taking the mother puma far 
away. Soon he saw his father backing from the 
cave. In his arms Big Eagle carried two tiny 
balls of spotted fur. Although the kittens’ eyes 
were not yet open, their little, ringed tails were 
lashing. 

Star took the baby pumas in his arms. “May 
I keep them?” he asked, thinking how proudly 
he would show them to the other boys. 

“No, my son. It would not be right to take 
both babies. We shall leave one here for the 
mother to find when she returns from the hunt.” 

With the little spotted kitten in his arms, 

ii6 


Star followed his father back to the two deer. 
After both animals were cleaned. Big Eagle quickly 
skinned one of them. Cutting the meat from the 
bones, the father wrapped it in the skin to be 
carried back to camp. The other deer he hung 
on the limb of a tree out of the reach of the hungry 
Animal People. 

On the way back to the camp. Star’s sharp 
eyes caught sight of a fox in the underbrush. 
Another time the boy saw the shaggy side of a 
bear. The young hunter talked with his father 
about the Wilderness People. 

“My son,” his father told him, “you must 
always take good care of your baby puma. The 
puma is the mighty War Chief of the Wilderness 
and is the best helper of the hunting gods. You 
must make offerings to the spirit of this mighty 
hunter and ask him for success whenever you 
hunt. The bear is also the hunter’s helper. But 
the bear helps our medicine men more than he 
helps our hunters.” 

“Do any of the other Wilderness People help 
the medicine man?” Star asked. 

“Yes,” replied Big Eagle. “The badger is a 
great digger. He helps the medicine man and 

117 


woman dig from Mother Earth whatever they^ 
need to cure the sick. The eagle, the snake, and ; 
the wolf also help. The medicine man always i 
asks the animals for power to cure the sick. The , 
Animal People are the real medicine men. Their 
spirits are always willing to help.” 

“There is much to learn about the Wilder-L 
ness People,” Star said, as his puma kitten snuggled^ 
down in his arms and went to sleep. I 

“Yes, and you should learn about them whil^ 
you are a visitor in the home of these people,’^ 
said Big Eagle. fl 

He stopped on the trail and held Star bacl^ 
with his hand. When he looked where his fathe^^ 
pointed. Star saw a small corral, or ring, of thornsl 
around the partly-eaten body of a rattlesnake. I 
“The chaparral (chap'a-ralO cock, or road run" 
ner, a bird that lives on lizards and snakes, built 
that fence,” Big Eagle explained to Star. “Tall 
Oak tells a story about this corral. He says that 
when the hungry bird finds a snake asleep in the 
sun, he gathers many thorns and builds a corral 
around the sleeping snake. Then the road runne^ 
hides beneath a near-by bush and waits. Wheifl 
the rattlesnake awakes, he tries to crawl througlfl 

ii8 I 




f: 



•v' 









i, 


.t 


S’' 


I 


I 

ii 



The War Chief of the Animal People 







the trap, but the thorns prick him. Then the 
snake strikes at the thorn pricks until he dies of 
his own poison. When the snake is dead, the 
road runner runs from his hiding place and eats 
all he wants of his game.” 

Star did not touch the trap. “I think the 
road runner is a very wise bird,” he said. 

It was growing late when Star and his father 
returned to camp. White Cloud ran to meet 
them. She was pleased with the new pet, which 
looked almost like Little Bird’s robe. While Star 
helped his mother cut the deermeat into strips 
to be smoked over the fire. Big Eagle went back 
to get the meat which he had left in the forest. 

That night soon after Star had told White 
Cloud all he had learned on the hunting trip, he^ 
fell asleep. He slept so soundly that he did not 
hear the mother puma calhng to her mate. Per¬ 
haps she was telling him that one of her babies 
had been stolen by the Man People. 

The next morning Singing Leaves arose before 
Father Sun. She must get her family ready for 
the trip home. After the meal Star rounded up 
the pack burros, and Big Eagle loaded them with 
the smoked meat and the skins. 


120 




Saying good-by to the wilderness and the 
Land of the Long-Ago People, the party set off 
on a short trail home. First the way led through 
a thick grove of pinon pines. There White Cloud 
and Star looked without success for last year’s 
nuts. Then, after riding through a level field of 
grama grass, the family came down the steep cliff, 
out of the land of yesterday into the land of today. 

Star, who was at the end of the line, almost 
went to sleep in the hot sun. When his burro 
suddenly stopped, the young Indian became wide 
awake. He heard the soft gobble-gobble of wild 
turkeys in a pinon grove, and he knew that his 
father was after new feathers for his arrows. 
While Star was waiting, he slid from his burro 
and picked up several pieces of yellow mineral 
for his mother. He knew that she would grind 
them to make paint to decorate her pottery. 

Soon Big Eagle, carrying a fat turkey, came 
from the grove. The family hurried on. Even 
the lazy little burros did not want to stop, for 
they knew that they were nearing the pueblo. In 
a short time the black mesa behind the village 
came into sight. Then Star saw the smoke curl¬ 
ing out of the pottery chimney tops. 


I2I 




As the group neared the river. Star asked per¬ 
mission to ride ahead. His httle burro was also 
eager to reach the pueblo. Not waiting to cross 
at the ford, the animal ran straight toward the 
corral. The water was deep, and Star received 
a bath for which he had not planned. Singing 
Leaves watched closely as he crossed the river, 
for she was afraid that her son might get into 
the dangerous quicksand. But soon she saw Star 
and his burro dash out of the water and race 
toward the gate. 

When Star entered the plaza, he spread the i 
news of the successful hunt. Friends came out 
to welcome the rest of the travelers as they arrived | 
at the gate. AU the Indians rejoiced at the hunters’ 
success. That night many families enjoyed fresh i 
meat stew. 


122 


A DAY WITH SINGING LEAVES 


From the time that Father Sun came to greet 
the pueblo to the time that he went to rest in the 
west. Singing Leaves usually worked at her reg¬ 
ular tasks. There was little time for rest. All— 
men, women, and children—had to work hard, 
but they did not object. 

Like every other Pueblo Indian woman. Singing 
Leaves owned the house in which her family lived. 
She also owned almost everything in it. Except 
for a few trinkets and the clothing belonging to 
her husband, there was nothing in the house that 
was not hers. Even the children belonged to her 
and were members of her clan. 

While the crops were growing, they were 
jointly owned by the men of the pueblo. But 
after the crops were harvested and stored under 
cover, they became the property of the women. 
Big Eagle owned his horse and burros, but he 
seldom traded or sold an animal without asking 
the advice of his wife. 

The work outside the house was the duty of 
123 


the men and boys. But when there was extra 
work to be done, the Pueblo Indian women often 
helped the men. Whenever they were needed, 
the women even worked in the fields. Usually 
the need arose during the busy harvest season. 

Singing Leaves was a good housekeeper. With 
a stiff broom made of tough grass stems tied 
tightly at one end, she swept the hard-packed 
dirt floor every day. In the same way, she cleaned 
the robes which lay on the floor and which often 
took the place of chairs. 

There was no wooden furniture in the house. 
However, all along one side of the room was a 
seat which Singing Leaves had built of clay mixed 
with water. This seat was used as a chair, a 
table, or a bed. 

Above the seat was a long pole from which 
usually hung a number of gaily-colored blankets, 
some clothing, and several long belts. At night 
the blankets were taken down and used as bed¬ 
ding. In the daytime they brightened the clean, 
whitewashed walls. Most of the blankets were 
made of wild cotton, dyed with bright colors and 
woven in beautiful patterns. The best ones were 
the work of neighboring Navaho Indians, who 
124 


were widely known for their fine weaving. Sing ing 
Leaves was very proud of her pretty blankets. 

Across the room from the big clay seat was a 
wide adobe shelf. Standing upon it were a num¬ 
ber of baskets, jars, and bowls of various sizes 
and shapes. Some were filled with food, such 
as corn meal, wheat, beans, nuts, fruit, and salt. 
One jar held bits of broken dishes, carefully saved 
for use in making new pottery. 

Also on the shelf were the tools and materials 
used by Singing Leaves in her housekeeping. 
Here lay her amole (a-mo'ia), or soaproot, her 
crushing stone for grinding corn or wheat, and 
her rubbing stones with which she smoothed her 
pottery. Here, too, she kept the headdresses, 
the beads, and the other ornaments worn in the 
religious dances. 

In a special niche in the wall stood the family’s 
choicest possession. It was a small, beautiful jar 
in which was kept the sacred corn meal used in 
the prayer offerings. 

Hanging against the adobe walls were Singing 
Leaves’ hand loom. Big Eagle’s strong bow, and 
his big quiver filled with flint-tipped hunting 
arrows. 


125 


A huge fireplace built of rock and adobe took 
up one corner of the room. Within the fireplace 
was the large, flat, smooth stone upon which 
Singing Leaves made her wafer bread. Smaller 
stones, round and smooth, were there also. They 
were used for heating water. A day’s supply of 
firewood was usually piled near by. Most of the 
food for the family was cooked in the fireplace, 
which was also used to heat the room during the 
cold moons. 

In another corner, close to the overhanging 
shelf, stood the big family metate (ma-ta'ta), or 
hollow-topped grinding stone, used in crushing 
the wheat. It was too heavy to be easily moved. 
Each time after the metate was used, it was 
brushed clean and carefully covered. 

On the floor, close to the walls, lay rolls of 
soft skins. These were used for seats, beds, and 
clothing. Near the door stood a jar of clear 
drinking water. Above it hung a gourd dipper, 
used by anybody who wanted a drink. 

In the rear of the room strings of dried meat, 
squash, and corn hung from the log beams over¬ 
head. There, too, hung bunches of dried herbs, 
roots, and bark for making medicines. At one 

126 


side of the room were grasses, reeds, and 3mcca 
bark to be used in weaving. 

One of the duties of the Pueblo Indian women 
was to grind the corn into corn meal. The grind¬ 
ing was done about once each moon. Three 
women always worked together. .S in g ing Leaves 
usually worked with her two closest neighbors. 

One day she called her daughter and said, 
“You must take care of Little Bird. This is the 
time set for grinding the corn.” 

After tying the baby on White Cloud’s back, 
the mother filled a large basket with dried kernels 
of corn. Then she placed the basket on her 
head and took her grinding stone from the adobe 
shelf. In the plaza she was joined by her two 
neighbors, who also carried corn and grinding 
stones. The three women crossed the plaza to 
the house set aside as the village grinding room. 
All corn meal used in the pueblo was ground 
here. Corn was a sacred food, and the Indians 
tried never to anger the Corn Maidens, who had 
given them this wonderful gift. 

Upon reaching the grinding room. Singing 
Leaves and her neighbors stopped outside the 
house. They tied up their long, black hair very 

127 


tightly. Then they took off their moccasins and 
stood them against the plaza wall. Finally the 
women shook and brushed their dresses until 
they were free from loose dust. Then they were 
ready to enter the sacred grinding room. 

While the three women were getting ready, 
an old man carrying a reed flute came across 
the plaza. Quietly he sat down by the side of 
the open door and began to play his flute. 

When she stepped into the room, each woman 
took her place beside the big metate, or grinding 
stone. This was a long, thick rock. In a row 
on its flattened top were three hollow places, 
now worn smooth and round. Each woman sat 
on the ground directly in front of one of the 
holes. Singing Leaves was at one end. 

The first woman poured kernels of corn into 
the hollow before her. She broke them into 
pieces by crushing them with her grinding stone. 
She held the stone in her right hand and handled 
the grain with her left. As soon as she had 
broken the kernels, she gave them to the neighbor 
next to her. This woman ground them into 
coarse corn meal. She, in turn, gave the coarse 
meal to Singing Leaves, who ground it into the 
128 


flour which was to be used in making the corn 
bread. 

As they ground, the women sang the same 
sacred corn songs which the Pueblo Indians had 
always sung. Their grinding stones kept time 
with the music of the flute. The grin ding con¬ 
tinued until all the corn which the three women 
had brought was ground. Each woman put her 
share of the meal into the basket which she had 
brought with her. Then Singing Leaves and her 
two helpers gave their places to another group of 
women. 

Outside, the three neighbors put on their 
moccasins. Then, placing the baskets upon their 
heads, the women went home. All now had 
enough corn meal to last for many sleeps. 

While Singing Leaves was grinding the corn. 
Big Eagle and Star were piling firewood beside 
one of the big adobe ovens in the plaza. The 
ovens looked like large, gray beehives. As Star 
and his father worked, they talked to the other 
men and boys who were carrying wood to near-by 
ovens. 

As soon as Singing Leaves had reached home, 
iShe told her husband to light a fire in one of 


129 



the large ovens. Then she called Star and White 
Cloud, who were helping their father. 

“You must take care of your brother, Star,” 
the mother said. “White Cloud must help me 
bake the bread.” 

Taking the baby from the little girl, the mother 
tied him to Star’s back. Neither Star nor Little 
Bird liked the change. Star wanted to play with 
the other boys, and he knew that it was not easy 
to run and jump with a baby on his back. Little 
Bird had learned that his brother was not so gentle 
as White Cloud. 

The Indian babies did not like to be carried 
by their brothers. When the boys played, they 
sometimes forgot their helpless little burdens. 
The Indian boys spent much time practicing with 
their bows and arrows. After the young war¬ 
riors bent over to pick up arrows they had just 
shot, they quickly stood up to shoot again. Often 
they rose so fast that they bumped the tiny heads 
of the babies. Then the brave little fellows could 
scarcely keep from crying. They knew that the 
boys tried to be kind to their younger brothers. 

As soon as Star carried Little Bird away. 
Singing Leaves turned back to her breadmaking. 

130 




Putting Bread Into the Oven 






The corn grinding and corn-bread making were 
done by all the women of the pueblo on certain 
days. Now the plaza was full of busy people 
waiting to grind or preparing to bake. 

While the mothers mixed the corn flour and 
water, the little girls kept the big ovens fllled 
with firewood. White Cloud liked doing such 
work much better than carrying Little Bird. She 
was then free to talk and play with the other 
little girls in the plaza. 

When Singing Leaves was ready to bake the 
bread, White Cloud raked the hot coals from 
within the adobe oven. Then she carefully brushed 
out the inside with a little grass broom. She had 
to be careful, for the oven was very hot. When 
the oven was clean, she went into the house to 
help her mother carry out the small loaves. 

To place the bread in the hot oven. Singing 
Leaves used a flat, wooden paddle with a long 
handle. As White Cloud handed her a loaf, her 
mother placed it on the paddle, which she pushed 
into the oven. When all the loaves were placed 
inside, the mother hung a wet blanket over the 
entire opening and tipped a large stone slab 
against the blanket. 


132 


While the corn bread was baking, Singing 
Leaves went back to the house. From the shelf 
she took a jar of wheat. Then she uncovered 
her metate and took down her smaller grinding 
stone. Soon she was grinding the wheat into 
coarse flour. She did not sing as she worked, 
for the Pueblo Indians had no wheat song. Wheat 
was not sacred to them because it had been brought 
by the Spaniards and not by the gods. When 
the women ground the wheat, they sometimes 
sang the sacred corn songs to make the work 
seem easier. 

When Singing Leaves finished grinding, she 
mixed the new wheat flour with water to make a 
thin batter. This she spread on the smooth, flat 
bread stone in the fireplace. The stone had been 
heated until it was nearly red-hot. In a very 
short time Singing Leaves had a pile of fresh 
wafer cakes. 

By this time the corn bread was baked. Singing 
iLeaves took out the fresh loaves, piled them into 
!a large basket, and carried them home. She 
knew that her family would be pleased with the 
evening meal. 


133 




MAKING POTTERY 


One day Singing Leaves decided to make sev¬ 
eral clay jars. She needed a small one for water 
and a large one in which to keep her corn meal. 
She also wanted a few extra jars to trade to the i 
Navahos for blankets. 

The mother called to White Cloud, who was i 
playing in the plaza. “Come, my daughter,” she i 
said. “I am going to make some jars this morn- | 
ing. Do you want to help me?” 

“Oh, yes,” answered White Cloud. “The last 
ones that I made alone fell apart. They were ' 
not good.” ■ 

“You must learn to make them right,” said i 
her mother. “I shall show you again.” i i 

The two went to get the clay for the jars.'■ 
This gray clay, a special kind, had been dug* 
some time before. The Indians usually kept a^j 
supply of it close at hand unless suitable clay ; 
could be found near their pueblos. * 

Singing Leaves and her daughter placed the]- 
clay in the open plaza before the porch. WhiteJ 


134 



Cloud put a bowl of water beside the clay. Mean- 
) while, from the shelf in the house her mother 
took a jar filled with dustlike clay powder. White 
Cloud knew that the powder had been made by 
I grinding broken pottery. In Puebloland no one 
I ever threw away a broken dish. Instead it was 
[ crushed into fine powder and carefully saved for 
making new pottery. Singing Leaves set the 
powder within easy reach. Now she and White 
Cloud were ready to work. 

After breaking up the lumps with her hands, 
the mother sifted the clay through her fingers. 
Then both mother and daughter picked out the 
sticks and pebbles. When the clay was fine and 
clean. Singing Leaves mixed in enough water to 
make a paste. At this point she asked White 
Cloud to pour into the mixture some of the powder 
; made from the broken pottery. 

As she slowly poured in the dust. White Cloud 
asked her mother, “Why do we use this old powder 
in making new jars? I did not mix in any dust 
when I made my last jars.” 

“Perhaps that is why yours broke,” answered 
her mother. “This powder keeps the new jars 
from cracking when they are heated.” 

135 




While the powder was being poured in, the 
mother stirred and kneaded the clay and the 
powder and the water until they were well mixed. 
Everything was now ready for shaping the new 
jars. Singing Leaves took enough mixed clay to 
form the base of her jar. Patting it and working 
it with her fingers, she formed a flattened cake. 
The bottom side of the cake she made flat and 
smooth. The top side she hollowed out with her 
hand. This made the base. 

Next, between her fingers she rolled a handful 
of clay until it looked somewhat like a piece of 
rope. She carefully laid this clay rope on the 
top edge of the finished base and pressed the roll 
down firmly. Then she rolled other clay ropes 
and put them one on top of the other. Each 
layer was pressed down tightly against the one 
below. As she added layers. Singing Leaves 
smoothed out the clay and shaped the jar both 
inside and out. This shaping was done with her 
fingers, which she kept dipping into the bowl of 
water. After the jar was as high as she wanted ■ 
it, she smoothed it with a small piece of gourd 
shell. When the jar was smooth, it was ready 
to be dried. 


136 



White Cloud looked closely while her mother 
I made the first jar. As soon as it was finished. 
Singing Leaves watched her daughter make a 
little jar of her own. The mother patiently 
helped the little fingers over the hard places. 
She was pleased that White Cloud wanted to 
learn. After the little jar was completed. White 
Cloud molded another without help. At the same 
time Singing Leaves made other jars of different 
sizes and shapes. 

When all the clay was used up, the mother 
said, “Now we must ask Father Sun to help us 
dry the jars. We must wait several sleeps before 
we can paint them.” 

Singing Leaves and White Cloud carefully 
carried the soft new jars up the ladder to the 
roof of their house. There Father Sun would 
dry them. Had the pottery been left on the plaza, 
a stray dog might have knocked it over, or one 
of the turkeys might have picked holes in it. 

I White Cloud was very proud of her jars. She 
I did not want anything to harm them. 

Day after day Father Sun did his best to dry 
the pottery. Even the Cloud People stayed away 
j as though they, too, wanted to help. White Cloud 

I 137 




could scarcely wait. Many times each day she 
climbed up to the roof to feel the clay. Every 
day she asked her mother whether the jars were 
ready to be painted. 

One morning when Father Sun rose clear and 
bright. White Cloud’s mother awakened her early. 

“Come, my daughter,” she said. “Today we 
shall fire our jars if they are dry enough.” 

White Cloud quickly rolled out of bed. She 
hoped that her mother would not decide that 
they must wait another day. The little girl was 
eager to paint her own two jars. 

After the morning meal. Singing Leaves tied 
Little Bird on his father’s back. It was Star’s 
turn to herd the burros; so he could not take 
care of his little brother. Big Eagle often carried 
his httle son, and Little Bird liked to ride on his 
father’s broad back. 

White Cloud and her mother climbed to the 
roof. Singing Leaves looked at the jars carefully. 
White Cloud was pleased when her mother said 
that all were dry. 

One by one the jars were carried down the 
ladder and placed on the ground in front of the 
house. From the shelf in the house White Cloud 
138 


II 


\ 







Making Pottery 






brought two flat, smooth stones. These stones,' 
which Singing Leaves had got from her grand- 1 
mother, were used only for polishing pottery. ■ 
With them, the two workers began to polish the i 
jars. They rubbed and rubbed until the jars 
were smooth inside and out. 

“Now we are ready to put on the slip,” said , 
Singing Leaves. 

While White Cloud rested, her mother care¬ 
fully stirred a thin mixture of water and fine, 
white clay. Into this mixture the two workers 
dipped bits of rabbit fur and spread a thin coat 
of it over two of the jars. Then the jars were 
again polished with the stones. Working with 
swift, sure strokes. Singing Leaves finished her 
big jar before White Cloud had polished her 
small one. 

Finally the jars were wiped dry and put aside. 
All the other jars were polished in the same way. 
Of course. White Cloud’s jars were not so weU 
done as were those of her mother. But the little 
girl had tried to do as she had been told. 

The jars were now ready to be painted. For 
paint, the Indians used a thick mixture made 
from minerals that were found near the village. 

140 



The brush was made from dried yucca leaves 
cut into long, narrow strips and tied into little 
bundles. Now that she was ready to use the 
leaves. Singing Leaves chewed one end of a leaf 
to make a brush of it. 

Pueblo Indian pottery was known for its beauty, 
and Singing Leaves was one of the best pottery 
painters in the village. Using the simple paint 
and brushes, the two workers painted different 
designs on their jars. White Cloud copied her 
designs from the old jars, but Singing Leaves 
made her own. Singing Leaves knew that each 
design was a sacred symbol. Some lines repre¬ 
sented Father Sun or Mother Earth. Others were 
sacred to the Above People. Some reminded 
the Pueblo Indians of the Animal or Plant People. 
When the jars were painted. White Cloud thought 
she had never before seen such beautiful ones. 

“I hope that sometime I can paint as well as 
you do. Mother,” she said. 

Her eyes shone when her mother replied, 
“Your painting is very good, my daughter. You 
are learning fast.” 

Now the jars must be fired. While her mother 
carried the jars through the plaza gate. White 


Cloud went outside the pueblo to gather a pile 
of dry sagebrush and another one of juniper 
twigs. After that she brought a jar of dried manure 
from the corral. In the meantime Singing Leaves 
placed some flat stones on the ground behind 
the houses. Upon these stones she set the jars, 
bottoms up. Then she covered the jars with the 
sagebrush, which she lighted. When the fire was 
well started, she laid juniper on the burning 
sagebrush. Finally, to hold the heat in, she piled 
a thick layer of the dried manure on top. 

Leaving her daughter to watch the fire, the 
mother went back into the plaza. She stepped 
into the house and took her hand loom from the 
wall. While Big Eagle and Little Bird watched, 
she tied one end of the loom to a post in front 
of the house. The other end she fastened tightly 
to the belt around her waist. Then she began 
to weave a beautiful red belt. Under her skillful 
fingers the design, which she planned as she 
worked, quickly began to take shape. For some 
time Singing Leaves wove steadily. She knew 
that the jars would not be fired very soon. 

In the meantime White Cloud did her duty. 
She knew that she must keep the fire even. It 
142 


must not grow too low, nor must it grow too 
high. She watched it very carefully, for she 
wanted to spoil none of the jars. 

It seemed a long, long time to her before her 
mother came through the plaza gate and said, 
“The jars are fired enough. You do not need 
to watch them any longer.” 

The little girl wanted to take her jars out of 
the fire so that she could show them to her friends. 
She picked up a stick and began to scatter the 
burning branches. 

But her mother quickly stopped her by saying, 
“You must not do that, my child. You must 
leave the jars where they are until the red coals 
turn black. If the cold air touches the jars now, 
they will crack. They must cool with the fire.” 

It took a long time for the fire to die down 
and a still longer time for the coals to cool. But 
White Cloud did not move from the jars. When 
her young friends came outside the plaza to join 
her, it was easier to wait. And after Singing 
Leaves brought the children wafer bread to eat, 
it was still easier. 

Father Sun sank lower and lower. When it 
was nearly time to prepare the evening meal, 

143 


White Cloud’s mother came again to look at the 
coals. They were now black and cold. She 
carefully uncovered the jars and lifted them out. 
Then she and White Cloud dusted olf the ashesj 
and rubbed the jars with an old cloth. At last, 
they were finished. I 

White Cloud picked up one of her jars in each* 
hand. She looked them over for cracks. Not a^ 
crack was to be seen. Although she had molded^ 
jars before, this was the first time she had ever! 
painted them. 1 

When her mother went in to the plaza tof 
prepare the meal, White Cloud went with her J: 
She carried her jars into the house. There she! 
placed them on the shelf, where they would be 
quite safe. She wished that Star would hurry 
home so that she could show him the beautiful 
jars she had made. : 





THE WHEAT HARVEST 


A busy time for the Pueblo Indians had come. 
The moon had risen when they must harvest 
their wheat and store it away for the coming 
moons. The Spaniards, the White Men from 
the South, had given the Indians this grain. The 
Red Men quickly learned that the golden grain 
was very good to eat. Although it was not sacred 
to them, they had planted it beside the sacred 
corn in the fields. 

The Bird and the wild Animal People also 
had learned to like the wheat. So as soon as 
the heads formed on the stalks, the grain had to 
be guarded. This was the duty of the younger 
children in the pueblo. Every morning during 
the late summer moons the little Indians, two or 
three together, climbed on the backs of the patient 
burros and went to the fields to guard the growing 
grain. 

While the burros fed in the grassy places 
near the wheat fields, the children played and 
shouted loudly to drive away the hungry birds 

145 





and animals. So bold were the birds that some- | 
times the guardians of the fields had to chmb to : 
the tops of their brush shelters and shake blankets i 
at the flocks to drive them away. 

As the days went by, the birds became bolder 
and bolder. It was hard to keep them from taking i: 
the grain. Later, when the corn and wheat began [ 
to ripen and grow tall, many of the Indian families f 
prepared to five near the fields vmtil the crops 
were harvested. 

One day Star went to watch the men build 
some of the brush shelters under which the fam- ■ 
ilies were to live. From the limbs which had 
been cut and brought to the fields, the builders 
picked out four long, straight poles with forks on 
one end. These poles were pushed deep into the 
ground so that the forks stood seven or eight feet 
high. From fork to fork of the front pair and 
also of the rear pair, long cross logs were laid. 
Upon these, smaller limbs were placed side by 
side to form a strong roof. Finally, to protect 
the families from rain, thick brush was piled on ■ 
top of the hmbs. The shelters were then ready 
for use. i 

Many families moved from the pueblo to livej 

146 ■ 




in the shelters near the fields. Everything that a 
family needed was carried to the fields on pack 
burros. As each woman unloaded her burro, she 
piled the supplies upon the high brush top of 
her shelter. Then, when she worked in the 
fields, she did not need to be afraid that the 
Animal People would steal the dried meat and 
other food. 

Although neighboring families went to live 
near the wheat. Big Eagle and his family did 
not move from the pueblo. But every day White 
Cloud went to the fields to help protect the crops. 
On the days that he did not herd the burros. 
Star also went with her. So did the rest of the 
boys and girls in the pueblo. There was no time 
for fun unless the children played and watched 
the fields at the same time. 

One evening as Star was returning to the 
pueblo from the fields, he saw a crier come up 
out of the kiva. He held his hand above his head 
and shouted to the people in the plaza. 

“Listen!” he called. ‘-Listen, all people! 
Mother Earth has been good. The Cloud People 
have helped us. Father Sun has been good. Our 
crops are ripening. Tomorrow the men and boys 

147 



will go to the fields to bring in the wheat. Hear, 
everybody!” 

Star and his friends heard. The Indians knew 
that the next day would bring hard work for 
them all. Before the gray shadows of the evening 
had turned to darkness, everyone in the pueblo 
had gone to rest. 

Very early the next morning the men pulled 
out the long yucca ropes with which the wheat 
would be tied on the backs of the burros. The 
workers knew the sun would soon be hot, and 
they wanted to do as much as they could while 
the day was yet cool. 

As soon as he had eaten. Star joined the other 
boys. They went to the corral for the pack 
burros. Only those that were needed to bring 
the wheat from the fields were taken from the 
corral; the rest were left behind to help with the 
threshing in the plaza. The younger boys knew 
that there would be no time for play. They 
must bring the wheat to the pueblo so that it 
could be threshed and put away before the Rain 
People came from their cloud homes. 

As the strong young men started for the wheat 
fields to cut the ripe grain, they sang the Pueblo 
148 


Indian harvest song. Following their older broth¬ 
ers, Star and the other boys rode from the pueblo 
on the burros. 

In the plaza the older men built a threshing 
ring. Around a very hard spot of ground they 
set a large ring of upright poles. The men tied 
heavy ropes from one pole to another so that the 
burros, which were to thresh the wheat, could 
be kept within the ring. When the ring had been 
built and the threshers had swept the hard, smooth 
ground with brooms of stiff swamp grass, they 
were ready for the cut wheat. 

In the fields the harvesters were already busy. 
As the wheat was cut by the young men, the 
boys gathered it into bundles. Then they tied 
the cut grain upon their burros and started for 
the threshing ring in the plaza. Once there, the 
boys untied the wheat and spread it evenly on 
the clean ground. As soon as the boys unloaded 
their grain, they rode off for another load. 

When enough wheat had been brought from 
the fields, the burros that were waiting in the 
corral were driven into the threshing ring. Four 
of the older men followed these unwilling beasts 
into the ring and drove them around as fast as 
149 






Threshing the Wheat 



they would go. In this way the burros tramped 
the grain from the straw. Other men placed 
themselves outside the ring to see that none of 
the animals broke through the ropes. 

As soon as the grain was tramped from the 
straw, the burros were driven from the ring. 
Then the men raked the loose straw away with 
forked sticks. With their grass brooms the har¬ 
vesters swept the grains of wheat into a pile in 
the center of the ring. This grain they put into 
large, woven baskets. As the baskets were filled, 
they were carried into the houses for the night. 
Because of the Animal People and the Rain 
Makers, the Indians did not dare leave the wheat 
outside. 

In a short time the boys were back from the 
fields with another load of the cut wheat. This 
was threshed in the same manner as before by 
the unwilling burros. And so the work went on 
until the sun reached the west. 

Star and his young friends were very tired 
at the end of the first day of harvesting. Their 
helpful little burros were also glad to rest when 
they were driven into the corral for food and 
drink. At the evening meal Star could hardly 

151 


keep his eyes open. When he lay down, he was 
asleep almost before his head touched his skin 
pillow. 

The next morning when Father Sun came, he 
found the Indians as busy as before. The young 
men were already cutting the tall grain in the 
fields. Making trip after trip, the boys brought 
the cut wheat into the plaza. All day the old men 
drove the burros round and round within the 
threshing ring. 

But the women and girls of the pueblo had 
their work to do, too. White Cloud and Singing 
Leaves had risen early to join the other workers. 
In order to clean the chaff from the wheat, the 
women called upon the friendly Wind People. 
These dancing little spirits had been spending 
their time teasing the red and yellow leaves of 
autumn. But now that they were needed, they 
were quite willing to leave their fun and help 
with the harvesting. 

Singing Leaves and the other women first 
spread their blankets on the ground in the plaza. 
Then they filled their shallow baskets with the 
wheat that the nimble feet of the burros had 
separated from the straw. Holding the baskets 
152 



Cleaning the Wheat 





as high as they could, the workers let the grain 
trickle slowly to the blankets. 

The Wind People caught the bits of worthless 
chaff that fell with the grain and whirled them 
away. Again and again the women and girls 
dropped the chaff and grain from the baskets to 
the blankets. Again and again the Wind People 
blew away the chaff. At last only the clean 
wheat remained. Then the little Wind People, 
pleased to have been of help, skipped away to 
play with the leaves again. 

The women stored the grain in big, woven 
baskets. When it was needed during the cold 
moons, the wheat would be ground into the 
flour from which was made the bread that the 
Indians liked so well. 

By the time Father Sun had slipped behind 
the western mountains on the second day of the 
harvest, the tired workers had stored away all 
the golden grains of wheat. But, tired as they 
were, the Indians did not go to rest until they 
had made an offering of thanks to the generous 
gods of the harvest. 


154 


GATHERING THE SACRED CORN 


Soon the cornfields would be as empty as 
the wheat fields, thought Star as he played with 
his friends among the cornstalks. He was not 
sorry, for he was eager to help harvest the sacred 
corn. 

“Father Sun is going farther away every day,” 
he told White Cloud one evening as the two 
children came from the fields. “Soon we must 
harvest the corn. Cold moons are coming.” 

White Cloud laughed. “Then we shall not 
have to keep the birds from the fields. I can 
spend more time with my friends.” 

By this time most of the families had moved 
from the pueblo to the shelters near the corn. 
Only a few people were left in the village to 
protect it and to look after the burros. The 
people under the shelters were safe and happy. 
Day by day the Indians went to look at the ripen¬ 
ing corn. They knew that the corn was now 
ready to be harvested. All were waiting for the 
crier to send them into the fields. 


155 



One evening a messenger who called the men 
of the council to the kiva rode among the shel¬ 
ters and through the plaza. While the council- 
men met, the other men waited outside to hear 
when the corn was to be harvested. Some of 
them smoked as they waited. 

Smoke is the symbol of the clouds; so the 
men blew the smoke in every direction as a prayer 
to the spirits. First the smokers sent puffs to 
the east, the north, the west, and the south. 
Then they sent puffs to honor the Above and 
the Below People. 

“Tom-tom-tom!” said the big drum as the 
crier stood on the kiva roof. The tom-tom called 
its old chant to the people. “Listen! Listen!” 
it said. 

“The corn is ripe! Tomorrow the men and 
boys must go to the fields,” called the crier. 

Star and White Cloud were fast asleep and 
had not heard the call. But their mother awoke 
them early the next morning, for there was much 
work for both the children to do. 

The men started into the fields before the 
boys, who first went to the corral for their burros. 
The boys drove the sleepy little beasts to the 
156 


pueblo gate. There the women hung long corn 
bags over the backs of the a ni mals. 

As they neared the fields, the men from the 
pueblo sang the corn song. The singing told 
the people in the shelters that the harvesttime 
had come. All workers joined in the song as 
they moved into the fields and began picking the 
ripe, golden corn. The husks were left on the 
ears. As they were picked, the ears were thrown 
into piles. 

The boys soon reached the fields to gather 
the picked corn. Even the little children helped 
toss the ears into the bags. The harvesters sang 
songs of thanks to Father Sun, to Mother Earth, 
and to the Cloud People. 

When the bags were full, the boys took the 
com to the plaza. The women at the pueblo 
gave the boys cakes to take to the men and chil¬ 
dren in the field. The hungry young burro 
drivers ate their share before they divided the 
food among the rest of the happy workers. 

The women and girls had prepared the com- 
cakes by building small, hot fires under the flat 
bread stones in the fireplaces. When the stones 
were hot enough, they were greased. Then, with 

157 





their fingers, the bakers spread on the stones a 
thin batter of corn meal and water. 

The wafers were done almost as soon as the 
batter was spread. While they were hot, the 
cakes were peeled from the stones and covered 
with a filling of dried meat and corn meal. Then 
the wafers were made into tight rolls. 

As soon as the boys rode off for another load 
of corn, the women and girls began their part 
of the work. First they stripped back the husks 
from the tops of some of the ears. Then they 
braided pairs of ears together so that they could 
be hung over a pole to dry. Some of the corn 
they stripped entirely free from husks and spread 
on the roofs to dry. As the day went on, the 
boys brought in more corn than the women could 
husk. The unhusked ears were saved for the 
nightly husking feasts. 

For days, from sunup to sundown, the men 
and boys harvested the plentiful crop of corn. 
In the plaza the older girls, as they husked, looked 
for the blue ears that would bring good luck. 
The younger girls carried the corn to the roofs 
and kept the birds away. After Father Sun had 
dried the corn, the Indians carried it into the 
158 


storage room. There they piled it in neat tiers 
like firewood. 

In the evenings, after the work in the fields 
was done and the Indians had eaten, the husking 
feasts began. The young, unmarried men of the 
pueblo went from house to house. As they 
husked, they sang the corn songs. In payment 
for their work and their songs the young men 
often got meat-filled corn wafers. When they 
were not too tired. Star and his little friends 
sang, too. 

One night after a husking feast. Big Eagle 
and his family were gathered on the porch. When 
White Cloud and Star saw Tall Oak coming 
toward the group, they hoped that they would 
soon hear a story. So they decided to keep very 
wide awake. 

“White Cloud found many blue ears as she 
husked today,” Big Eagle told Tall Oak as the 
men talked of the cornhusking. 

“Then she is honored by the Blue Corn 
Maiden,” said the Storyteller solemnly. “The 
girl who finds the most blue ears will be the lucki¬ 
est girl in the pueblo.” 

“Who is the Blue Corn Maiden?” asked White 


159 





Harvesting Corn 









Cloud in a very low voice. Tall Oak heard her 
and smiled. 

“She is one of the sacred Corn Maidens. 
They are the true friends of the Red Men,” he 
answered. “We must always be grateful for their 
gift if we want their help. 

“Long ago some of the Red Men forgot to be 
grateful to the Corn Maidens. Many Red Men 
had not taken proper care of the corn. They 
had thrown it carelessly into the corn room with¬ 
out piling it neatly. Then the Yellow Corn 
Maiden went to her sisters. She told them how 
careless the Red People had been. The Yellow, 
the Blue, the Red, the White, the Speckled, and 
the Black Corn Maidens decided to go away 
together. As they fled, the Black Corn Maiden 
went last. She made the road so dark that no 
one could follow the sisters. 

“When planting time came, the corn of the 
Red People who had piled it neatly came up. 
The grain of the Red Men who had been careless 
did not grow. Another year came, and the care¬ 
less ones had not one kernel to plant. In order 
to get food, they had to work for those Indians 
who had been grateful for their corn. Several 
i6i 


winters passed, and the careless Red Men gave 
all they had in return for enough to eat. Then 
they knew that they had been wrong. They 
promised that they would always take care of the 
sacred corn. They prayed to the Corn Maidens 
for help. 

“The kind Corn Maidens heard the prayer. 
Their hearts softened. The next year the maidens 
returned, and the crops were good. Now all the 
Red People pile their corn neatly in the storage 
rooms. They never forget to honor the Corn 
Maidens and to sing the sacred corn song as 
they grind the corn,” ended Tall Oak. 


CHILDREN’S DAY AT THE PUEBLO 


Now that the fields lay bare, the children had 
little to do. The girls played with their little 
brothers and sisters in the plaza. The boys took 
turns driving the village burros to the feeding 
grounds. At other times they helped to gather 
wood. At this time of the year the boys did not 
mind these tasks. Along the trail there was always 
plenty of wild fruit and nuts to eat or to bring 
home. 

In the evenings the children listened to the 
older people as they visited around the fireplaces 
and talked of the coming feasts. Eagerly the 
little people waited for Tall Oak, who went from 
house to house with his stories of the Long-Ago 
days. He told of the time when the Above People 
visited the Red People and also of the time when 
the Indians could talk with the Animal People. 

One evening, as Big Eagle made his corn-meal 
offering to the setting sun, the tom-tom sounded 
through the quiet plaza. The messenger was 
calling the men of the council to the kiva. 

163 


The father stood up to join the councilmen. ■ 
As Star and White Cloud watched him go, they 
wondered what plans would be made for the 
pueblo. No one in the plaza would know until 
the council was over. 

“Perhaps they will plan a day for the chil¬ 
dren,” said White Cloud. “Do you remember 
how we camped in the woodlands last year?” 

“Yes, and what fun it was!” answered Star. 
“There were games and good things to eat.” 

After the Harvest Moon was over, twilight 
came swiftly to the pueblo. As the dusk deep¬ 
ened, Star and White Cloud sat talking with 
their mother about the fun of the children’s day 
last year. Then Star’s sharp eyes saw a shadowy 
form on the top of the kiva. 

“It is the crier,” he said. “Let us listen.” 

As the deep boom of the tom-tom died away, 
the clear voice of the crier reached everyone in 
the plaza. 

“Tomorrow will be a playday for the chil- ■ 
dren,” he said. The children almost shouted for ■ 
joy, but they did not want to miss a word. ^ 

“We must start when Father Stm comes,” i 
the crier continued. “Everyone must give the I 
164 I 





QEU)p 


Big Eagle Answering the Call to the Ktva 




children a happy time. We shall camp by the 
river and have a rabbit hunt.” 

At last the children’s day had come. Every 
year, after the crops had been harvested, the 
men and women of the pueblo planned to spend 
a happy day with the children. The older people, 
as well as the children, enjoyed this day. It 
was the only time of the year that everyone could 
leave the pueblo. 

The next morning, when Star and White Cloud 
awoke, the Wind People were on the warpath. 
They were blowing the smoke in every direction 
from the chimney tops. White Cloud helped her 
mother pack the things that were needed at the 
camp. Star gathered his rabbit sticks and his 
bow and arrows. The Indians felt sure that the 
Wind People would soon tire and not spoil the 
day of fun. 

But by the time Father Sun had awakened, 
the Wind People were even worse than they had 
been. They picked up big handfuls of sand and 
whirled them in the air. Soon the air was so 
full of fine sand that Father Sun could not be 
seen. When Star put his head outside the door, 
the naughty Wind People blew the stinging sand 
i66 i 



into his eyes. Little piles of sand sifted through 
the tiny cracks of the houses and lay on the floors. 

But before long the playful wind spirits dropped 
the sand back into the lap of Mother Earth and 
hurried away to tease another pueblo. Again 
Father Sun laughed down on the village, while 
Singing Leaves took her broom and swept the 
floor clean. 

In the corral Star and the other boys found 
the little burros shaking sand from their shaggy 
coats. The boys brought the animals to the 
houses and helped the women pack the burros 
with everything that the children needed to make 
them happy. 

The men on horses then led the way to the 
camp near the river. The women, girls, and 
small children followed on burros. The older 
boys and the village dogs brought up the end of 
the line. Star and his friends did not leave their 
pets in the pueblo alone. Star’s little puma 
Mtten and Hawk Boy’s bear cub were not friendly 
to each other. White Cloud’s little fawn was 
afraid of both the other animals. 

At the river camp the children tied their pets 
so that they could not hurt one another. Then 
167 




the young Indians joined in the games that thej 
men had planned. First the boys played the! 
run-three-steps-and-stop game of shooting. After 
Hawk Boy had won this contest, the younger i 
men played the touch game with the boys and! 
led them a wild chase around the camp. While | 
the boys ran, the girls played other games. 

Later Star and Hawk Boy asked their fathers 
for the horses. The two friends wanted to show 
that they could ride horses as well as burros. 
As they rode to a level stretch of land along 
the river, all the other Indian children stopped 
playing to watch the race. 

The boys lined up; and when Big Eagle 
shouted, the horses were off. The boys’ sharp 
eyes watched for badger holes so that the horses 
would not stumble and fall. Nose to nose the 
sturdy little ponies ran, neither gaining on the 
other. The two friends swung around and raced 
back together, and again neither won. Singing 
Leaves gave each boy a corncake filled with 
stewed meat. 

Father Sun was now overhead. The men 
lighted the fires, and the women prepared the 
midday feast for the children. How good the 
168 



boiled corn meal and broiled meat tasted to the 
hungry youngsters! They emptied the large bas¬ 
kets of wafer bread and wheat cakes filled with 
meat stew. When the children had eaten, they 
did not forget to feed their pets. 

“Now we must cross the river and choose 
our hunting ground,” the War Leader said as 
the Indians rested after the feast. 

Taking their curved throwing sticks and strong 
bows, the boys ran quickly down to the sand 
bar in the river. They took off their moccasins 
and leggings and waded across the water to a 
large, sandy space filled with sagebrush and cac¬ 
tus. Here the Cacique threw sacred meal to the 
four corners of the earth and to the Above and 
the Below People. 

After the War Leader had made his prayer 
to the gods of the hunt, a smoking fire of green 
brush was built in the center of the open space. 
The thick, heavy smoke was intended to blind 
the rabbits. As soon as the low-hanging smoke 
began to spread, the men and boys walked from 
the fire in every direction. At a signal from the 
War Leader, they turned and slowly began closing 
in toward the fire. As the hunters came toward 


the center, they beat the sagebrush with their 
sticks. 

Hundreds of frightened rabbits were driven 
from their sagebrush homes and were herded 
toward the blinding smoke. From the near-by 
woodlands the crows, the magpies, and the squir¬ 
rels scolded the hunters. They said that only 
the Thunder People should dare to fill the forest 
with so much noise that it frightened away the 
echoes. Star and his friends hunted fiercely. 
They aimed their rabbit sticks and shot their 
arrows so well that not one rabbit escaped. The 
boys wanted to prove that soon they, too, would 
be strong enough to go on the ring hunt for 
deer. Before long the rabbits were gathered into 
big piles. 

By the time that Father Sun had passed over 
his trail, each family had packed its share of the 
game on the waiting burros and had gone back 
across the river to the pueblo. Only the old 
women and the little girls rode home that night. 
The little boys helped the men herd the pack 
animals into the village. 

After Star and White Cloud had eaten, they 
needed only one thing more to make the day 
170 


complete. They wished that Tall Oak would 
come to tell them a story of the Long-Ago People. 
Just then the old Storyteller appeared at the 
door. He was on his way around the pueblo 
and had stopped to talk to his friends. 

“Tell us a story,” the children begged as he 
turned to go. 

Tall Oak smiled. Taking a handful of salt 
from a small jar on a shelf near him, he said, 
“I shall tell you the story of Salt Old Woman. 
My father. Thundering Rock, told it to me.” 

Star and White Cloud sat very still, for this 
was a story they had never before heard. 

“Once, long ago, our pueblo was without 
salt,” began the old Indian. “No pueblo can live 
long without salt; so four brave warriors decided 
to ride to the faraway home of Salt Old Woman 
to get some of her salt body for our people. For 
three sleeps the warriors rode hard. They forded 
many rushing rivers and streams. At last they 
found themselves in the hot, dry sands near the 
home of Salt Old Woman. West of her home 
are beautiful hills and valleys. A high mountain 
covered with thick woods protects her from the 
wind. But Salt Old Woman herself lives on a 



The Rabbit Hunt 












big, open plain. No one ever harms her. Every¬ 
one knows that she has the magic power to give 
life. 

“The Red Men found her, wearing her white 
dress and her white boots and carrying a large 
white shell, so soft that she could unfold it. She 
gave freely of her salt body when the warriors 
asked for salt for their people. 

“As they rode away, the men did not forget 
to throw sacred corn meal as an offering of thanks. 
The warriors wanted Salt Old Woman to help 
them when they came again. They knew that 
the Red Men needed salt for many things.” 

After the old Storyteller had gone, the chil¬ 
dren watched their father throw sacred corn meal 
into the fireplace. Then they, too, sent their 
thanks to Father Sun and the gods of the hunt. 
All had been good to the children and had filled 
the day with happiness and fun. 


173 


THE DESERT TRAIL 


Every pueblo had now finished harvesting its 
crops. It was time for the Indians to celebrate 
the harvest. 

One morning not long after the children’s; 
day there was much activity at Star’s pueblo, j 
He and White Cloud and the other Indians had | 
arisen while it was still twilight. All were very j 
much excited. Today they were going to ride 
across the desert to enjoy the Harvest Feast of | 
a friendly neighboring pueblo. i 

The children spoke in whispers. They did | 
not want to disturb the sleeping birds, the Wind j 
People, or the cottonwood tree in the plaza. Star | 
and his friends hurried to the corral to wake 
the sleeping burros for the long journey. When 
the boys brought the animals to the plaza, the f 
women, the children, and the men who did not 
own horses mounted the burros. 

The men on horses led the way to the river. 
The Indians on burros followed in single file. 
In the dim light the old trail to the feeding grounds 

174 





seemed strange and new to Star. He was glad 
when Hawk Boy shouted to him. 

“Look to the east, Star. There is Father 
Sun’s messenger, Morning Star. Father Sun will 
soon follow his trail to the west.” 

Covered with their warm skin robes and cot¬ 
ton blankets, the children watched as the Cloud 
People slowly put on their early morning gowns. 
The young Indians laughed because they were 
sure that Father Sun would be surprised to find 
the Red People so far from their pueblo. 

“Look,” Hawk Boy said to Star as the boys 
rode together. “Many people are coming out of 
that canyon behind us. Who are they?” 

When Star called to his father. Big Eagle 
said, “They are our neighbors. They are going 
to the feast with us.” 

While part of the group waited for the friendly 
neighbors, the children went on. Not far ahead, 
in a coulee, they found a plum tree which they 
quickly stripped of its ripe fruit. Soon the people 
of both pueblos were riding together toward the 
desert, over which they must pass to the feast. 

This desert was a lonesome, sandy stretch 
with only sagebrush and cactus growing upon it. 

175 


Only lizards, rabbits, and snakes made their homes 
here, for there was no water. The Cloud People 
did not often send the Rain Makers to this lonely 
land of sand and sun. When they did come, 
the thirsty sand drank up the water as fast as it 
fell. 

Star and his young friends rode behind the 
other Indians and looked for lizards. These swift 
little sagebrush people were hard to see, for they 
could quickly change their color to that of the 
sand and rocks. 

Star looked about him through the trembling 
heat waves. Suddenly he shouted in surprise. 
To his right he saw a big lake surrounded with 
green trees. He pointed it out to his companions. 

Hawk Boy stopped his burro. “Last year we 
did not pass a lake,” he said. “We must find 
out whether the men have lost the trail.” 

The two friends kicked their heels into the 
sides of their donkeys. In a short time they 
caught up with the main party. 

“Do you see the lake. Father?” Star said. 
“Hawk Boy and I wish to water our burros.” 

Big Eagle shook his head as the other men 
laughed. “No, my son. That is only a ghost 
176 


lake,” he said. “It leads many travelers from 
the trail. It promises to give them a drink. It 
moves ahead of the wanderers and takes them 
far into the desert. Sometimes the thirsty ones 
follow the ghost lake into the Underneath Land. 
Sometimes the ghost lake disappears. Then the 
travelers know that it is not real.” 

The boys were glad that they had asked about 
the lake before they had ridden toward it. They 
watched it grow fainter and fainter until at last 
it disappeared. 

One of the young men rode a proud young 
brown horse. As the boys again fell behind, they 
watched this animal push the other horses from 
the trail. He was like a naughty child who wants 
to be noticed. As his rider did not punish the 
young horse, one of the older horses thought 
that he would teach the proud youngster a lesson 
by giving him a sharp bite. 

The young horse did not like the lesson. 
Before his rider could jerk up the halter rope, 
the brown horse swung his head down between 
his front legs, humped up his back, and began to 
kick and jump. This was the excitement that 
the quiet trip needed. The men, kicking their 
177 


heels into their horses’ sides, gave out long war 
whoops. They galloped around the angry horse, 
whose rider could hardly keep his seat. Finally 
the young horse quieted down and decided to 
learn his lesson. 

Now that the fun was over, the two boys 
talked about the horse race that Star and Hawk 
Boy had run on the day for children. Both boys 
remembered that neither had won. 

“My burro can run faster than your burro,” 
Star said, patting the shoulder of his little animal. 
“The day that my burro went alone into the 
canyon he ran very fast down the cliff.” 

“That was because you were afraid and made 
him run,” Hawk Boy broke in. “My burro also 
ran very fast when he drove the herd out of the 
canyon.” 

“My burro won a race last year,” said Star. 
“Whenever I race with White Cloud, I leave her 
far behind.” 

“Your sister is a girl,” Hawk Boy said. “A 
girl cannot make a burro run.” 

“You must have a race now,” said one of the 
other boys. 

Star and Hawk Boy stopped to get an even 
178 


start. But they forgot to ask the burros what 
they thought of the plan. Burros are faithful 
little beasts. They will carry heavy loads on 
their backs, but they always like to take their 
time. The boys had left the trail many times 
to look for rabbits and hzards, and the hot sand 
had burned the burros’ feet. So when the boys 
kicked their moccasined heels into the sides of 
the little beasts, they paid no attention to their 
riders. None of the other burros were hurrying; 
so these two saw no need for running. The 
more the boys kicked, the more determined the 
burros were not to run. Finally the boys had 
to give up the race. 

Suddenly one of the horses ahead jumped 
from the trail and tried to run. Holding the 
horse tightly, his rider pointed to a large rock 
in the sand. Coiled on top of it was a rattlesnake 
taking a sun bath. Most of the horses jumped 
when they passed the rock. But in spite of the 
frightened horses, the sleeping snake did not 
move. After quieting their animals, the men 
moved on. They did not harm the rattlesnake. 
Because he is the War Chief of the Desert, he is 
sacred to the Indians. 


179 


Arriving at the Neighboring Pueblo 










Soon the party left the desert behind. The 
horses led the way through a pinon grove. Here 
the boys heard the happy call of the little cedar- 
birds. Beyond the pinon grove the riders reached 
a small hill from which they could see the pueblo 
they were to visit. They had yet to climb down 
the steep sides of a deep arroyo and follow the 
trail up to a level plain upon which the pueblo 
lay. On foot, upon burros, and upon horses 
other Indians from other pueblos were already 
climbing the steep trail from the arroyo to the 
village on the plain. 

Ahead of their own people Star and his young 
companions rode down into the arroyo. There 
they waited because they did not know where 
their group would camp. The whole party chmbed 
the last part of the trail together. 

At the pueblo gate the visitors were welcomed 
by their friends. The children had many exciting 
things to tell their little friends at the pueblo. 
The older people, thankful for the good crops, 
talked about the coming dances and the feast. 


i8i 


THE HARVEST FEAST 


The plaza soon became a mass of moving i 
color. In their gay feast clothes the people from 
many pueblos walked about greeting old friends. 
Sometimes they stopped to watch the Indians of 
this pueblo, who had been dancing since morn¬ 
ing. Only the tame old turkeys, who wanted the 
plaza to themselves, minded the noise. As the 
groups of happy feasters walked by, these' angry 
old birds lowered their wings and dragged them 
along the ground. 

“Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!” they scolded. 
Every turkey there joined in the scolding. 

Star laughed when he saw the proud turkeys. 
Many times he had teased stupid birds like these 
in his own village. Nobody ever harmed the 
turkeys as they walked about the plaza. They 
were kept to furnish feathers for ornaments used 
in religious ceremonies. 

As Star stood listening to the happy people 
around him, a little friend of his, who lived in 
the pueblo, called to him. 

182 



“Come to see my father’s big eagles. Star,” 
he shouted. 

Star had never before seen a live eagle except 
when it was flying high above the cliffs. Eagerly 
he followed his little comrade. Inside a cage of 
poles Star saw two eagles with black tips on 
their long, white tail feathers. There were no 
spots on the white part of the feathers; so Star 
knew that the eagles were less than two years old. 

“My father caught them when they were still 
in their nest,” explained the boy. 

“Your father will have some beautiful feathers 
for the dances,” said Star. “He will not have 
to wear turkey feathers as my father sometimes 
does.” 

Star knew that the eagles would drop their 
tail feathers twice a year. Twelve large ones 
would fall each time. He wished that his father 
owned some eagles. Then he would not have 
to climb the high chffs to find feathers. 

Star went with his friend to the corral to see 
that his burro had enough to eat. There he 
thanked the boy for showing him the eagles. 
As his little host turned to go. Star pointed to 
the great flocks of birds flying low over the village. 
183 


“Did your pueblo invite the Bird People to 
the Harvest Feast, too?” Star asked. 

For a moment the boys watched the many 
different birds picking up fallen pieces of food 
in the plaza. Star did not blame the Bird People, 
for he, too, was hungry. Saying good-by to his 
friend, he hurried to the house that had been 
set aside for his family. 

He stopped for a moment to watch some of 
his fellow Delight Makers who were already doing 
tricks. Then the smell of food made him hurry 
on. Inside the adobe house, he found his mother 
boiling pounded meat in a pot over the fire. 
Star could hardly wait until she called her family 
for the midday meal. 

From where he was eating. Star could see 
one of the Dehght Makers in the plaza. His 
body was thickly covered with bluish-white clay. 
Over this clay long, black, zigzag streaks repre¬ 
senting lightning were painted the length of his 
body and limbs. Around his eyes were broad, 
black bands. He wore a short, wild-cotton dance 
skirt decorated with colored thread. Over each 
ear his hair was drawn into great wads from 
which hung shredded cornhusks. Fastened to 
184 





The Delight Makers Entertaining the People 




the top of his head was a twig of juniper. To 
his knees and ankles tortoise shells and the points 
of the hoofs of deer were bound with cornhusks. 
Whenever he moved, these decorations rattled. 

When this first Delight Maker met a second 
clown, the two Koshares pretended to fight as 
they rolled each other on the ground. Star, who 
was taking care of Little Bird, sat laughing at 
them. He hoped that the Delight Makers would 
ask the Koshare members from the other pueblos 
to join in the dance. 

As White Cloud and Singing Leaves cleared 
away the remains of the meal, a Delight Maker 
stuck his head inside the door. He said that 
the Koshare Society was inviting all fellow mem¬ 
bers to the dance. Leaving Little Bird with 
White Cloud, Star quickly took off his leggings 
and shirt. He did not have time to paint his 
body, but he did tie cornhusks to his ankles and 
his hair. Then he ran out to join the other 
Koshare boys who had been invited to dance. 
They were waiting outside the kiva for the older 
dancers to come out. 

The drummers and the chanters leading the 
dance soon appeared. After them came an old 
186 


woman dressed in rags. A blanket was hung over 
her shoulders. With her arms outstretched and 
with a corner of the blanket in each hand, she 
looked as though she were flying with blanket 
wings. As she followed the chanters out into 
the plaza, she moved her arms up and down like 
the wings of an eagle. 

Star saw his father among the men and women 
dancers coming in pairs from the kiva. When 
the double line of dancers had reached the center 
of the plaza, the boys, feeling like young war¬ 
riors, dropped in at the end of the line. After 
the last dancer had joined the group, the old 
woman with the blanket wings left the chanters 
and danced back and forth alone between the 
swaying lines of men and women. 

From the houses the women who were not 
dancing brought large baskets of squash, gourds, 
and dried meat. The women threw these symbols 
of the harvest between the two rows of dancers. 
The latter pretended that they were harvesting 
the crops that the gods had given. To the time 
of the tom-toms the dancers swayed as they picked 
up the food. 

The clowns, who were amusing the people 
187 


and who had not joined in the dance, did not 
want to be left out of the harvest. They rushed 
in, brushed the harvesters aside, and got a share 
of the gifts. Then the Delight Makers came 
back to the side lines to tease the girls about 
their sweethearts. Even when the funmakers 
pretended to run away with the girl of his choice, 
no young man became angry. Everyone knew 
that the clowns were only being funny. 

After the dancers had gone into the kiva for 
a rest, the women of the pueblo filled many jars 
with water and carried them to the edges of the 
roofs. The rest of the watchers also climbed 
the ladders to the housetops. 

Soon the Koshare dancers in single file came 
down the steps of the kiva. As they danced 
around the plaza as close as they could to the 
houses, the women on the housetops threw the 
cold water down upon their warm bodies. Star 
shivered when the water hit him, but he did not 
forget to laugh. That was his duty as a Delight 
Maker. As soon as all the water had been thrown, 
he, with the other dancers, ran to a fire in the 
center of the plaza. 

Here the Harvest Feast had been prepared. 
i88 


Great bowls of meat and baskets of bread were 
placed before the hungry dancers and watchers. 
Everyone was thankful for the plentiful crops 
which had made such a feast possible. The 
Bird People, who had been flying over the pueblo 
all day, were thankful, too. Now they flew boldly 
near the fire to pick up the scraps. Even the 
proud old turkeys were so busy eating that they 
forgot to scold. 

Father Sun was in the west when the feast 
was over. As they prepared to go home, the 
visitors arose and thanked their friends. Star 
took the cornhusks from his hair and ankles. 
He joined the other boys in finding the horses 
and burros that belonged to his group. 

As the party from Star’s pueblo rode from 
the plaza, the members were given bread and 
dried meat so that the children would not be 
hungry on the trip home. One of his friends 
brought Star some dried plums, which he saved 
to eat later. He knew that he would be hungry 
long before the return journey was over. 


THE NIGHT TRAIL 


Star was glad when he saw that the men on 
horses were going to drive the burros home. 
That meant that he would not have to watch his 
little beast to make him keep up with the group. 

The men drove the burros at a fast trot down 
the steep trail into the arroyo. The wise animals 
did not object, for they were afraid of the men. 
Besides, the donkeys were eager to get home to 
their corral. 

By the time that the travelers reached the 
pinon grove, the sun had dropped behind the 
western mountain. Quickly the gray light faded 
to darkness. The moon had not yet risen. At 
first Star could hardly see the trail before him. 
But as he went on, he saw more clearly. He 
was pleased when Mother Moon rose over the 
eastern mountain to brighten the darkness. 

No one spoke. Only the hoofs of the animals 
broke the silence as they picked their way along 
the trail. Star had almost fallen asleep when a 
weird scream made his burro jump. Star would 


190 


have fallen off if he had not thrown his arms 
around the little beast’s neck. Some of the 
smaller children cried, and some of the animals 
broke away from the trail. 

One of the men rode up from the rear. “That 
was the call of a wildcat,” he said. “He has 
been hunting. Perhaps he is warning us to leave 
his game alone. Or perhaps he is calling his 
mate to the feast. But he will not come to hurt us.” 

Soon the scare was over, and the little band 
was on the trail again. It was no longer dark 
as the travelers started down the hill that led 
into the silent desert. The moonbeams shim¬ 
mered over the great sandy wastes. As the 
Indians approached. Star’s sharp eyes saw a coyote 
steal into the shadows of a lonely pine. The 
animal had been hunting on the edge of the desert. 

The desert and its people were asleep. Only 
the shadowy sagebrush and the cactus stood on 
guard. With nothing but the sandy trail to watch. 
Star himself fell half asleep. At last the trail 
led away from the desert along the edge of the 
canyon. Here the thick, fresh-smelling pines, 
bending with the breeze, greeted them. Star did 
not like the great shadows that swayed under 
191 



The Black Sentinel Mesa Near the Pueblo 






the trees. But now his little burro could follow 
the familiar homeward trail without guidance. 

“Whoo-whoooo-whooooo!” came a spooky 
voice through the trees. Star sat up straight on 
his burro. When the call came again, the sleepy 
boy knew that an owl was calling in the wood¬ 
lands. Perhaps the bird was scolding the Man 
People who frightened the mice which he was 
hunting. 

Before the party reached the ford in the river, 
Star saw that Hawk Boy was riding beside him. 

“Can you see the black sentinel mesa behind 
the pueblo?” his friend asked Star. 

“Yes, I can,” replied Star. “We shall soon 
be home.” 

“Do you know the story of the mesa?” Hawk 
Boy asked. “I once heard Tall Oak tell it.” 

“Tell it to me. Hawk Boy,” said Star. 

“In the very, very Long-Ago past,” Hawk 
Boy began, “a giant and his family lived on the 
mesa top. Whenever he was himgry, he came 
to the pueblo. Sometimes he stole the Indian 
children and kept them in his cave. Now only 
the cave is left. The water spirits helped our 
people kill the bad giant and his family.” 

193 


As Hawk Boy finished the story of the giant 
of the black mesa, the party forded the river. 
Star was glad when the weary group reached the 
pueblo. He felt safe, and he knew that a warm 
bed of skins was waiting for him. That night 
the horses and burros were driven into the corral 
by the young men. They knew how tired the 
little travelers were. 

The next day was a rest day for everyone. 
The men gathered in the plaza to talk over the 
feast of the day before. Already the people of 
the pueblo were planning their own yearly Buffalo 
Dance. 

Tall Oak sat in the plaza telhng stories to a 
group of children. The young Indians liked to 
hear of the sacred feast days and of the brave 
hunters of the Long-Ago time. 

The Pueblo Indians were very religious. They 
celebrated all important events with big feast 
days. Sacred ceremonies and dances, each of 
which had its own meaning, were carried out 
to honor the gods. 

The planting, the harvest, and the hunt were 
celebrated by every pueblo. In these regular 
feasts, friendly neighbors were often invited to join. 

194 


Besides the regular celebrations, each pueblo 
held other feasts which were called for special 
reasons. Sometimes the feasts were held to beg 
favors of the gods. Such were the dances asking 
the help of the Rain Makers. Other feasts were 
planned when group work was to be done. Visitors 
were seldom invited to join in such special feasts. 

Other kinds of special feasts were thanksgiving 
celebrations. If the gods had been good to a 
pueblo or if there was a time of rest, the council 
might plan a special feast day. To these feasts 
the friendly neighboring Indians were usually 
invited to share in the pueblo’s good fortune. 

But whether the crops had been large or 
small, these sincere rain and sun worshippers 
were always willing to honor the helpful gods. 
The Indians often traveled many miles over the 
sun-baked desert trails to take part in the thanks¬ 
giving celebrations of their neighbors. 

This year the gods had been very good to 
Star’s people. There was corn and wheat for 
all. No one would suffer for lack of food during 
the cold moons. 

Only meat was needed. Soon the men of the 
pueblo would go on a big hunt. There were 

195 




Tall Oak Telling Stories to the Children 



f 


many signs of wild game. The Indians were 
sure the hunting gods would be as kind as the 
Rain Makers had been. The council was already 
planning the big Hunting Feast. So it was not 
hard for the people to be happy. 


197 


THE HUNT 


Soon after the wheat and the sacred corn 
had been stored away for the year, the men of 
the pueblo began to talk of the hunt. The Indians 
knew that the pueblo needed much meat for its 
guests at the coming feast. And, too, the women 
wanted meat to dry and to put away for the 
many meals during the winter moons. The In¬ 
dians also needed skins for winter clothing. 

One evening Star and his friends heard the 
council called to the kiva to decide on a day for 
the hunt. The older men and the boys waited 
outside the kiva until they heard the beat of the 
tom-tom. 

“Hunters, listen!” said the crier to the waiting 
men. “It is the Hunting Moon. Your War 
Leader calls you to a ring hunt for deer. You 
must be ready when Father Sun comes again.” 

Every boy in the pueblo longed to go with 
the hunters. But each young warrior knew that 
he must be content to listen to the tales of the 
men when they returned. 

198 


Star arose with Father Sun to see the hunters 
start. Armed with bows and arrows, the men 
followed the brave War Leader out the plaza 
gate and across the river by the ford. The men 
rode quickly beyond the red ridge to the wooded 
hunting grounds. Here the hunters dismounted 
and hobbled their horses so that they could graze. 

In an open, grassy spot the War Leader faced 
his strong hunters. “This is the center of the 
hunting ring,” he said. “Each of you must go 
in the direction I give you. Walk until the sun 
is straight above you. Then turn and drive the 
deer toward this place.” 

As soon as the leader told them where to go, 
small groups of hunters started out in every 
direction. When they returned, the men would 
spread out in order to cover more ground. 

Quietly Big Eagle and the other men of his 
group slipped along among the trees. Into the 
hills and upon the cliffs they climbed like shadows. 
The hunters did not want to disturb any of the 
Animal People until the sun was directly overhead. 

As soon as the sun reached the middle of his 
trail, a long war whoop echoed among the hills. 
Then the whole countryside broke into a great 


199 


noise. Echoes awakened which had been sleeping 
since the last big hunt. They played touch with 
the hillsides and cliffs. Rolling back and forth 
over the canyons, the echoes moved on and on 
until they lost themselves in the distance. More 
and more echoes followed until the quiet of the 
entire forest was gone. 

At first the frightened Wilderness People stood 
very still to listen and to plan their escape. A 
kingbird flew wildly from a tree over Big Eagle’s 
head. The hunter knew that the Cacique would 
like some of its feathers for his prayer stick, but 
Star’s father did not let his eyes stray from the 
deer which had appeared ahead of him. 

Leaping over fallen logs and crevices and 
running through icy streams. Big Eagle tracked 
his game. He was doing his best to drive the 
swift and frightened animals toward the ring be¬ 
low him. In a short time he lost sight of the 
flying herd. But their beating hoofs told him 
that he must take a rocky, mountain trail to head 
them off. 

As he sprang up the narrow trail, he remem¬ 
bered that such trails were the favorite haunts 
of the warlike grizzly bear. But he did not want 


200 



The Medicine Man of the Wilderness 






to stop now. As he leaped upon a great boulder 
that blocked the way, Big Eagle looked beneath 
him and saw a big, furry head. It was the huge 
Medicine Man of the Wilderness. The bear had 
caught his own game and was enjoying his meal. 
Brave as Big Eagle was, he did not dare to disturb 
the grizzly. As the bear stood up, the Indian 
dropped lightly from the boulder. He knew that 
he could go no farther on that trail, which he 
left to the master of the rocky canyon. 

Down in the canyon again. Big Eagle stopped 
to listen. He could hear the deer running, but 
he could not see them. Beyond him was a growth 
of pine trees, thick with underbrush. Knowing 
that the deer could not push through it any more 
easily than he could, the hunter started around 
it. He hoped that the deer had done likewise. 
But some of the more frightened deer had run into 
the grove to hide. The kind trees gladly saved 
their frightened friends. 

On the other side of the grove. Big Eagle 
joined the hunters in his group. Many fat deer 
and jack rabbits ran before the shouting men. 
There were also wild turkeys, which had been 
frightened from the pinon grove. 


202 


A wildcat, seeing the deer dash past, set out 
for his afternoon meal. But the mighty shouts 
sent him into a tree, where he hid among the 
topmost branches. Only long after the hunt was 
over and the woodlands were quiet did he dare 
to come down. High on a rocky ledge a puma, 
the mighty hunter of the forest, crawled into his 
den as the echoes rang along the cliffs. If the 
hunters did not bother him, the puma did not 
want to fight. 

Perched in a tall tree an eagle, the Chief of 
the Air, watched the fleeing animals. Although 
he was not afraid, he wondered why there was 
so much noise. When the Indians came close, 
he flew off to his home among the mountaintops. 

As the drive neared the center of the great 
circle, the Indians saw more frightened game 
running before them. Shouting and screaming, 
the hunters closed in from all sides. The men 
walked slowly and forced the deer and rabbits 
into the open ring. Here the hunters made quick 
work of their game. Only the wise old turkeys, 
which spread their wings and flew away, escaped 
the well-aimed arrows. 

The hunters knew that the sun would soon 
203 


drop behind the western mountains. So they 
did not stop to talk. Working until it was too 
dark to see, they cleaned and cut up their game. 
They packed it so that it could easily be carried 
back to the pueblo in the morning. The splints 
from the hind legs of the deer were saved to be 
used as sewing awls. The hoofs were kept for 
making glue. 

After their work was done, the hunters made 
camp for the night. Building a campfire, they 
broiled some of the meat for their evening meal. 
As they ate. Big Eagle told his companions of 
his meeting with the grizzly. Soon afterward 
most of the men fell asleep around the small 
fire. Several of the men took turns standing 
guard to watch the fresh meat and to feed the 
fire which would frighten away the hungry Wilder¬ 
ness People. 

Long before Father Sun came again, the hunt¬ 
ers were busy. They started over the trail in 
single file, each man leading his heavily-packed 
animal. The Indians were eager to get home, 
for they knew that the women and children in 
the pueblo were waiting. 

Star and his friends had climbed to the top- 
204 


most roof to watch for their fathers’ return. 
Suddenly one boy gave a joyful shout. 

“The hunters are coming!” he called to the 
women below. “All are walking, and their horses 
are carrying big loads.” 

The boys hurried down the ladders to meet 
the hunters. All wanted to hear about the great 
hunt. When the warriors reached the plaza, 
everyone stopped his other work and helped to 
unpack the weary horses. Gladly the women 
took charge of the meat and the skins. 

Everyone who was able to work helped to 
prepare the meat for the feast and for winter 
use. First the meat was cut into long, narrow 
strips. Then it was placed on the wooden meat 
racks to smoke and to dry. The skins were rolled 
and put aside. There would be no time to tan 
them until the feast day was over. 

That evening Singing Leaves boiled in corn- 
meal broth a rabbit which Big Eagle had brought 
home from the hunt. After the family had eaten, 
the father took his son into the plaza. The moon 
had not yet risen. Only the stars shone brightly 
above them. 

Pointing to the northern sky. Big Eagle said, 
205 


“That is the bright star that never marches, my 
son. It always stands still while the seven other 
stars pass around it in the night to tell us the time.” 

“Does the star that never marches tell hunters 
how long it will be before Father Sun rises in 
the east?” asked the boy. 

“Yes,” replied his father. “If you want to 
be a great hunter, you must learn these things 
while you are still a boy.” 

That night as Star listened to the singing of 
the young men on the mesa behind the pueblo, 
he did not know which he wanted to do more, 
to sing or to hunt. Perhaps, when he was older, 
he could do both. But now he fell asleep to 
dream of the happy days to come. He knew 
that the children would have much fun while 
the pueblo was preparing for the big feast day. 


206 


PREPARING FOR THE FEAST 


Everyone in the pueblo was thinking of the 
Hunting Feast. Star’s mother had shown interest 
by beginning her house cleaning. She wanted 
her home to be clean and freshly whitewashed 
for her visitors from far and near. 

She brought into the plaza a bag of ice stones, 
or white stones, which Star had helped to gather 
in a near-by canyon. Sometime before. Singing 
Leaves had burned and crushed this mineral to 
a fine dust. Now she mixed it with water and 
made a thin paste. This she brushed upon the 
inner walls of her house to hide the black smoke 
stains. The other women also whitewashed and 
cleaned their houses. 

When the whitewashing was finished, the wom¬ 
en placed many loaves of corn bread to bake in 
the big ovens in the plaza. In their homes they 
made great piles of wafer bread and boiled much 
dried meat. 

After the food was ready, some of the women 
took their looms from the walls and brought 


207 


them outside into the sunshine. There the moth¬ 
ers wove while they directed the children in their 
work. Singing Leaves’ family watched her as 
she quickly finished a belt for White Cloud to 
wear at the feast. 

While White Cloud took the loom to weave 
narrow strips for the hair, her mother went into 
the house. From the shelf she took a jar in 
which she kept amole roots, or the roots of the 
yucca plant. Crushing them with a stone hammer, 
the mother placed the pieces in a pottery bowl 
filled with water. This mixture soon made a 
heavy, soapy lather. 

Singing Leaves carried the bowl to the plaza 
and called her husband. While the children 
watched, she washed his long, black hair in the 
thick suds. Star waited with fresh water for his 
own hair. He knew that this was a busy day for 
his mother, and he wanted to help as much as 
he could. Soon Singing Leaves washed Star’s 
thick hair just as she had his father’s. When her 
mother had finished with Star, White Cloud was 
ready with a jar of water. 

Then it was Little Bird’s turn. When White 
Cloud brought fresh water for Little Bird, he 
208 



Singing Leaves Weaving a Belt 




started to crawl away as fast as he could. But 
his mother quickly caught him. Turning him 
on his back so that the water would not run down 
his face and frighten him, she wet his hair. When 
she rubbed the soap into his short hair, he kicked 
his little legs and scolded. Some of the soap 
had run into his eyes. But in spite of his scold¬ 
ing, Singing Leaves did not stop washing until 
he was as clean as the rest of the family. White 
Cloud poured a jarful of clear water over his 
little head to rinse away the soap. Then she 
took the baby while Singing Leaves washed her 
own hair. 

As their long hair dried, many of the women 
went about their work in the plaza. In groups 
the men sat talking as Father Sun dried their 
heavy, black hair. White Cloud found some of 
her little friends in the plaza. While they cared 
for the babies, the little girls brought out their 
moccasins and leggings and cleaned them with a 
fine, white clay. 

Father Sun did not take long to dry the 
Indians’ long hair. So as soon as the mothers 
had taken the baked bread from the ovens, they 
prepared to comb and brush the heavy hair. 


210 


From the house Singing Leaves brought a 
hairbrush made of stiff grasses that had been tied 
very tightly together near the cut ends. The 
short, thick ends of the brush were used for 
combing the hair, and the longer ends were used 
for brushing it. 

Singing Leaves called Big Eagle, who came 
and sat before her. She first combed every snarl 
from his long, black hair. Next she smoothed 
over his forehead the short, straight bangs which 
hung to his eyebrows. She combed the short 
side hair that reached only to his shoulders. 
From this she separated the long hair hanging 
down his back. The back hair she folded under 
to the usual length. Then she tied the back hair 
tightly and wrapped it round and round with one 
of the red bands that White Cloud had woven. 

In a short while Star’s straight hair was as 
handsome as that of his father. Then White 
Cloud sat patiently until she, too, was ready. 
After Singing Leaves had cared for her own 
hair, she brushed that of Little Bird. He did 
not seem to mind, for his mother was careful 
not to hurt him. 

In the late afternoon, while the women still 


2II 



Brushing Big Eaglets Hair 



worked in the plaza. Star and his friends climbed 
to the highest roof to talk about the coming 
feast. Suddenly they were quiet. Beyond the 
river, on the trail that led to the feeding grounds, 
they saw a small band of men and horses coming 
toward the pueblo. 

“Our visitors are coming before the crier has 
called the feast day!” Star shouted to the people 
below. 

Quickly the War Leader and some of the 
older men chmbed the ladders to the roofs. 

“Are there any burros in the party?” the 
Leader asked a sharp-eyed warrior. 

“No,” the man answered. “I see only horses.” 

“Then they are not our neighbors. Our 
friends always have burros with them,” the War 
Leader said. 

“They are Navahos!” broke in Big Eagle as 
the little band rode closer. 

The face of the War Leader was very stern 
for a moment. The Navahos were the enemies 
of the Pueblo Indians. 

“They are not invited to the feast. Perhaps 
they have come to steal om: corn,” the War 
Leader said. 


213 


“If they came as enemies,” Big Eagle replied, 
“they would come in the night.” 

“You are right. Big Eagle,” the War Leader 
told him. “See the blanket packs on their horses. 
They must be coming to trade.” 

By the time the Navahos had reached the 
village gate, everyone was down in the plaza to 
meet them. 

“We need corn,” the leader of the Navaho 
traders said when they were inside. “We have 
blankets to trade for corn.” 

The War Leader knew that the Navahos must 
need corn badly or they would have waited for 
the Pueblo Indians to visit the Navaho country. 
Then the Navahos could have made better trades 
for their blankets. The Pueblo Indians usually 
needed blankets but never so badly as the Navahos 
needed corn. These enemies of the Pueblo In¬ 
dians seldom raised enough corn in their small 
garden patches to keep from starving between 
the Harvest Moons. 

The Pueblo Indian women had brought out 
all the jars that they could spare. The men 
brought big armfuls of corn. Then the Navahos 
silently unpacked their gay blankets. 

214 


These blankets were often made of soft wool. 
To get the wool, the Navahos had carefully un¬ 
raveled the white shawls that had been brought 
by the Spanish traders. The Indians dyed the 
wool with their own bright colors. Then the 
skillful weavers wove it into blankets of beautiful 
design. 

When the Indians were ready to trade, one 
of the Navahos spread a bright-colored blanket 
on the ground. Big Eagle knew that Singing 
Leaves needed such a blanket. So he picked up 
a painted jar and stood it on the ground beside 
the blanket. The Navaho did not look down. 
Big Eagle set a plain jar beside the painted one. 
The Navaho shook his head and pointed toward 
the corn. When Big Eagle had placed a few ears 
of corn beside the jars, the Navaho still shook 
his head. 

Big Eagle knew that Singing Leaves wanted 
the blanket very much, but he pretended that 
he thought that the Navaho was asking too much 
for it. He whispered to Singing Leaves, who 
was proud of her husband’s skill in trading. Big 
Eagle picked up a few more ears of corn and put 
them with the others. 


215 


But the Navaho wanted still more corn. This 
time Big Eagle shook his head. He had offered 
all that he would give for the blanket. If the 
Navaho wanted more, he would have to find 
another trader. When the Navaho saw that he 
could not get a single extra ear of corn, he nodded 
his head and made the trade. Big Eagle picked 
up the blanket, and the Navaho carried away his 
jars and corn. 

Then another Navaho laid down his blanket, 
and another trade started. Before long a big fire 
had been built in the plaza. Afterwards food 
was offered to the visiting Indians. When the 
trading was over, the Navahos packed their horses 
with the jars and corn received for the blankets. 
Saying good night, they rode out of the hghted 
plaza into the outside darkness. 

Singing Leaves proudly himg her new blanket 
over the pole above the clay seat. She would 
show it to the visitors who came to the feast the 
next day. 

As soon as the Navahos had left, the council- 
men had gone into the kiva to make final plans 
for the Hunting Feast, the greatest feast of the 
year. It would take them a long time, for there 
216 


was much to decide. The people from neighbor¬ 
ing pueblos would come to the feast. The Buffalo 
Dance would be held, and prayers to the gods 
of the hunt would be given. 

All Indians knew the time of their regular 
feast day. Yet each year the day must be called 
from the roof of the kiva. Like Star, other Indians 
stood waiting to hear the tom-tom announce the 
feast day. All were eager to hear the call, for 
they had been working for days to prepare for 
the feast. 

Finally the moon closed its eyes and dropped 
over the western mountains to its home. StiU 
there was no sound from the kiva. Star stole 
away to his bed. The plaza was empty when at 
last the shadowy forms left the kiva and shpped 
through the dim, starlit pueblo to their homes. 


217 


THE BUFFALO DANCE 


The gray dawn was stealing over the moun¬ 
tain when the tom-tom broke the stillness. 

“Prepare for the Hunting Feast,” the crier 
called from the top of the kiva. “Today we 
must dance to the gods of the hunt. Prepare 
for the feast.” 

Long before daybreak, every family in the 
pueblo was awake. Before Father Sun rose in 
the east, each father went to the niche in the 
wall and took down the bowl of sacred corn 
meal. With his family, he climbed to the roof 
of his house. There, facing the east, he blew 
sacred meal to the rising sun. 

After the morning offering, the feast day began. 
Already a few of the guests from the neighboring 
pueblos were coming in through the plaza gate. 
A few warriors selected by the War Leader met 
these early guests and quietly brought them into 
the plaza. 

The Buffalo Dance was about to begin. Every¬ 
one was watching the mesa top below the rising 
218 


sun. Seven dancers appeared high against the 
clear, morning sky. Three of them looked like 
shaggy buffaloes, two like swift antelope, and two 
like slender deer. Led by hunters, they stood 
like shadows against the bright sky. The people 
in the pueblo could hear the brave hunting song 
that the leaders were chanting. 

As the group left the mesa and neared the 
pueblo, the watchers first saw the buffaloes. They 
wore great shaggy buffalo headdresses. Following 
came the deer and antelope with headdresses 
representing their own kind. Their bodies were 
covered with painted skins. In each hand, every 
animal spirit carried a short stick, used to repre¬ 
sent front legs. 

The hunters now led these spirits of the 
wilderness across the plaza and into the kiva. 
This was the beginning of the prayer to the gods 
of the hunt. 

Each woman who was to dance wore a blanket 
dress, a red woven belt, and white deerskin boots. 
Down feathers sprinkled her loose hair. Three 
eagle feathers decorated each side of her head. 
In one hand she carried a gourd rattle; in the other, 
three eagle feathers. 


219 


The men dancers were dressed less colorfully 
than the women. On one side of each man’s 
head were three tall eagle feathers; on the other, 
a buffalo horn. Each dancer carried his best bow 
and arrows in one hand. In the other, he grasped 
several eagle feathers. 

Now it was time to care for the many guests 
who had been steadily arriving. The visitors 
were shown the houses which were to be their 
homes for the day. 

The men and women of the pueblo who had 
been invited to join in the Buffalo Dance went 
to the kiva. Others prepared the food for the 
feast. The children did not forget to welcome 
their young friends. Star and the other boys 
helped the little visitors put their tired horses 
and burros into the corral. 

When the boys heard the tom-tom, they hurried 
back to the plaza. Everyone who was not dancing 
stood watching the kiva roof. The War Leader 
had given the command, and the hunters would 
soon lead their captives out of the kiva and into 
the plaza again. First an old Indian carrying a 
tom-tom came down the adobe steps. He was 
closely followed by the chanters, who were s inging 


220 



The Buffalo Dance 



the sacred hunting songs. Behind the singers 
danced the spirits of the buffaloes, the antelope, 
and the deer. 

Following them came the pairs of dancers. 
Each pair was made up of a man and a woman. 
When they reached the center of the plaza, the 
pairs separated. The men formed one line and 
the women another. Then the animal spirits 
turned and danced back and forth between the 
two lines as though they were trying to escape. 

The men and women dancers kept time to the 
hunting chants. Meanwhile the children carried 
out a little dance of their own. White Cloud 
danced so gently that Little Bird, who was on 
her back, went to sleep. But Star and his friends 
tried to dance like the men. Little Bird would 
probably have been crying had he been on Star’s 
back. 

Hour after hour, from one end of the plaza 
to the other, the dancers moved. When the 
tired Indians stopped to rest from the prayer 
to the gods of the hunt, the women and children 
who were watching offered food. When the sun 
was directly overhead, the weary dancers went 
into the kiva. There the animal spirits took off 


222 


their sacred animal headdresses before coming 
out to meet the guests. 

Soon both dancers and watchers sat down to 
the great feast that had been prepared by the 
women of the pueblo. Everyone ate all he wanted, 
while the sacred clowns entertained the group. 
Then all but the little boys rested. Some of the 
older men led the youths in games of shooting 
and in foot racing. Star won a prize—one of 
several that the women had made for the winners. 
When the boys came from the races, they found 
that some of the guests who had a long journey 
before them had already gone. The women of 
the pueblo had given the travelers presents of 
food to take with them on the return trip. 

Soon the tom-tom sounded, calling the dancers 
together again. Only once during the long after¬ 
noon did the dancing Indians stop to rest. How¬ 
ever, Star and his young friends soon stopped 
their dance to play games. Not until Father Sun 
slanted his rays to tell the people that the day 
was nearly over did the chanters go to the kiva. 

As the last of the visitors left the plaza with 
their gifts of food, the boys stood near the gate 
to say good-by. They hoped that their little 
223 


friends would come again the next year. Hurrying 
back to the plaza, the boys helped the men build 
a great fire. Before it all the Indians stood to 
offer their prayer to the setting sun. When dark¬ 
ness settled over the pueblo, the people gathered 
around the bright flames to talk over the dance 
and the feast. Then, as the Hunting Moon rose 
again in the east, the Cacique called the Indians 
to their feet. Blowing the sacred corn meal from 
his left hand, he made a prayer to the Mother 
of the Night for his people. 

Star listened to the stories of the wilderness, 
which the men told, until he could no longer 
stay awake. As he wandered sleepily home, he 
saw a few brave warriors in the firelight watching 
the Hunting Moon. Star’s heart was happy. He 
had made new friends that day. He had played 
and danced. 

Before he fell asleep, he made his own prayer 
to the spirits of the East, the West, the North, 
and the South. Nor did he forget the Above 
and the Below People. And last, but not least, 
he gave sincere thanks to Mother Earth and 
Father Sun. 


224 










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